


Snapshot

by MystBlBk



Category: BLACKPINK (Band)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-05 20:07:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 45,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21214325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MystBlBk/pseuds/MystBlBk
Summary: “Who was that,” I ask no one, “She was…”I blink through the fog I’m in and look down at my digital camera. My hands quickly move, faster then they have ever before, and I look through the gallery to the final pictures. There in the filled up storage are six pictures, half of them blurry, but one good one of the princess I just saw. I zoom in to frame the woman on the screen and feel the same warmth in my chest as before. Her smile makes me smile back just as brightly and I can’t help but describe her out loud:“Perfect.”----------------------------------Jennie Kim, a seasoned idol from JYP, is making her debut outside of Korea. In an effort to advertise her new English album and first staring film, her new management team, YG Media, has set her up with modeling's most talked about photographer: Lalisa Manoban.





	1. "Perfect"

“It’s okay Rosé I’ll be back for dinner. I promise! No! No! I mean it this time! I swear! Fine! I’ll call you when I’m heading out of the park and before I get on my bike. Yes! Yes, I swear! Okay. Love you too, chipmunk!”

I hang up the call and shake my head at my best friend’s overaction. The second I answered I received a scolding from my childhood friend, not the usually happy princess greeting she gives me. I sigh and think back to the last two days she invited me to dinner after closing her café. I had managed to get to her place late, late enough for the food to be stone-cold frozen, twice in a row. Visions of an angry squirrel chasing me around a well-decorated baby-pink living room, with a cooking pan in hand, shine vividly in my mind.

_**"HOW DARE YOU MAKE ME WASTE FOOD!**_ She yelled at the top of her lungs while swinging the object at me, _**"I WORKED SO HARD LISA! IF ONLY YOU CARED ABOUT ME AS MUCH AS THAT CAMERA OF YOURS!**_

A smile pulls at my lips and I shake my head again, “Crazy chipmunk.”

I follow the path I’m on, behind a large group of tourists, and reach the large greenhouse. I pause at the right distance and pull up my camera, adjusting the lens with a practiced move, and take a snap at my safe haven. I feel glares from people behind me, annoyed that I’m taking up space of the path, but as alway I ignore them and continue to snap the shots I want. Once I’m satisfied, I put my film camera away and pull out my digital camera to repeat the actions. 

The sound of camera shots echo in the spacious area I’m in. The sound brings me back to memories of exploring the world. I feel sad as my mind replays my adventures and compare them to my current job. My job as a professional photographer for fashion magazines is nothing compared to my first years working for nature magazines. Sure the money is three times as much but the awe I received by snapping a shot of falling ice glaciers hold no comparison to taking a picture of a celebrity on a couch. Coming to the Balboa Gardens or the local zoos and aquariums are the closest I come to that high I would get two years ago. 

I shake my head and come back to the present, I can feel the canyon sand and snowflakes fall out of my ears with despair as I do so. With a scowl, I walk on towards the large building in front of me. My trigger happy finger keeps taking snaps of floating lilies with each step I go. By the time I’m at the building’s entrance, I have half the digital drive is filled and the film in my other camera needs to be changed. 

The large rusted-looking house is filled with jungle-like plants in any available areas. Walking past all the stretched out branches is like walking through the forests I grew up around. From the jungle forests of Thailand to the woodsy snowed on forests of the Swiss Alps, this place is the closest I get to home. I spend a good hour at the greenhouse, taking pictures and reminiscing of a life passed by. Once I’m satisfied, both emotionally and artistically, I walk out of the garden house and walk toward my second favorite spot: the rose garden.

The rose garden is outside and uncovered, a perfect way to grow both wild and domesticated roses. There are two circle planter areas that create secluded areas for parties and such, one with a fountain at the center and the other with a covered up gazeebo-styled area. The paths leading to and from the two areas are filled with roses of all kinds as well as tall decorative bushes. The area seems deserted, which is odd as it’s noon on a Saturday, but I grin and walk just a bit faster to find my favorite rose bush. 

With my long stride, I reach the bush and let out a happy yell. The pink and purple rose bushes are all the same type, an imported kind from Korea and parts of Asia, and were unique in the way they looked like they had two or more smaller roses inside them. They became a favorite of mine when my father bought my mother and me some for our family anniversary. It became a tradition of sorts for dad to give each of us a bouquet on that day along with cooking us our favorite foods for dinner.

“Miss you,” I mumble under my breath, “More and more every day.”

My last words are a bit watery and my eyes misty as I say them but I hold myself together to pull out my film cam. The roses were just watered so there are little drops decorating the soft rose petals. I bite my lip as the light hits the dew just right and shines a tiny rainbow in each droplet. 

“So pretty,” I breathe out.

I softly hit the trigger, as if afraid to break the spell the roses have on me, and capture the moment in ink and plastic. I turn this way and that way to find different shifts in the light. Each picture I take feels like electricity flowing through me. If I could compare it to something, it would be the feeling of falling in love. Breathless and in wonder at each second passing by.

An eternity goes by and I stand up straight from the bent-over position I got myself in. My fingers swipe on the screen of my digital camera and I look over the pictures. I smirk at seeing the fresh drive taken over by wonderfully pink flowers. I see a few that are portrait material and mark them for later use. 

“I can’t wait to frame some of these for Rose and mo-” I snap my mouth closed as a heavenly sound reaches my ears.

I look around me and see no one around. My brows furrow as I continue to look for the owner of the angelic voice I’m hearing. Finally, I see a small figure walking out of the garden and towards the closest parking area. As I walk out of the section I’m in and break free from the landscape, I can finally see the singer walking out of the garden. 

The woman is petite with long raven hair that shines with each flick she triggers from her mesmerizing stride. The breath in my lugs catches in my throat as I look over her womanly curves, from her delicate shoulders and down her back to reach her perfect legs and finally her small feet in red-bottom pumps. The white dress she’s wearing makes her look like a fairy leaving her garden playground as it matches perfectly with the wide green plains and multitude flower bushes she passes by. If just the side of her back robes me of my breath, then the sight of her looking over her shoulder knocks me into the stratosphere. The young woman’s cat-like eyes burn into my soul and the perfect symmetry of her face makes me think of all the porcelain dolls dad’s family would buy for me for Christmas. 

As if in a trance, I begin to follow the young woman and her hypnotic voice. My eyes follow her as she walks with a feminine swagger in each step and a twirl of soft raven hair, desperate to take in as much of the gorgeous woman in front of me. She makes it out of the garden and is quickly followed by a smartly dressed man in a sharp charcoal suit. Her musical voice is replaced with her speaking voice, just as lovely as it was before, while she speaks to the man. The man gives her his arm to hold onto, aid for when she begins to walk on the grassy downhill. 

“Wait,” I find myself saying without a thought, “Hold on.”

Though I have followed the beauty, I’m still too far away to be heard. The woman walks the last few strides to a black SUV while holding onto the man. The man opens the back seat door for her and helps her in. Desperately, I take my digital camera and quickly snap without precise aiming. The sounds of my camera clicking are drowned out by the slamming of the vehicle’s door. I keep snapping like a mad-woman, hoping that the dark tint of the SUV’s windows will be opaque enough to get a decent shot. The sound of an empty alert hits my ears and I quickly grab my film cam. By the time I have the viewfinder over my eye, the woman opens the widow halfway and I’m gifted with the perfect shot of her angelic face mid-smile.

“Woah,” I gape.

I gasp and stare at the angel’s child-like smile with my camera half-way raised. The smile turns into a laugh that makes her squint just a bit and I feel a rush of heat hit my cheeks.

“Who are you,” I whisper.

The vehicle then shifts and suddenly moves forward quickly as if to imitate a speeding ambulance. I’m left with only one film shot and a heart full of flapping butterflies as the woman is driven out of the parking lot and most likely out of the park. I stay in place, eyes trained on the spot the woman was at just second before, and replay the whole scene in my mind. 

“Who was that,” I ask no one, “She was…”

I blink through the fog I’m in and look down at my digital camera. My hands quickly move, faster then they have ever before, and I look through the gallery to the final pictures. There in the filled up storage are six pictures, half of them blurry, but one good one of the princess I just saw. I zoom in to frame the woman on the screen and feel the same warmth in my chest as before. Her smile makes me smile back just as brightly and I can’t help but describe her out loud:

“Perfect.”


	2. "The Mysterious One"

“Right this way, Miss.”

I smile at my manager in thanks as he walks me out of the elevator and into a long hallway. A group of American managers and assistants walk in front of my manager and begin to tell us about the future projects this new deal would have. I try to listen to their excited chatter but the walls around me gain my attention. The walls were decorated in photos of all sizes, each from different magazine shoots or were taken at award shows and the like. My eyes glance at the pictures and a small smile tugs at my lips as my eyes catch a few of my friends on the wall.

From Irene to IU, almost all of the current popular idols with fans outside of Korea use this media group, YG Media, to help them connect with the Western consumers. YG had become a well respected, but still money-grabbing and power-hungry, media empire that has now become the branch that almost every celebrity from outside of the US would use to connect them with the main players of the West. From modeling deals to sponsorships, YG had a strategy and pull to get their celebrities on the tip of everyone's tongue. That’s how I ended up here.

After debuting at JYP over three years ago as a solo artist, my popularity rose quickly. I had only a few EPs to my name but my side job of acting kept me in the public eye long enough to catch fame outside of Korea. In the past year, I had translated my mini-albums into English and they had caught like fire to wood. It seemed that my near fluidity of English helped push me into the eyes of the West and gained me a large following at home as well. Somehow I had also gained the attention of large companies after a small photoshoot for my photobook and started booking modeling jobs. The latest resulted in being asked to be a brand ambassador for many brands, the most notable being Channel. Now on the edge of releasing my first full album and signing as the co-star in my first American movie, my managers had decided that it would be time for a larger group to take care of me while in the West. 

I had flown into Las Angeles a few days ago, giving me enough time to adjust from the jet lag, and now I’m on my way to a meeting with the managers assigned to me. The addition of another group of management has me both annoyed and excited, especially since my best friend just let me know she is in talks with YG as well. 

“Here we are,” the tall tanned man smiles to us and opens the door, “Y’all should know, we’ve been so excited for you to show up. All the girls have been bouncing off the walls about meeting you, Jennie.”

I laugh at the man’s wild smile, “I’ve been just as excited, Ken. It’s been a while since I’ve modeled and I’m really excited to get to know and hear what you’ve been planning for me.”

“You’re going to love it,” a woman with a bob and square glasses tells me as we walk into the meeting room, “We’ve taken this whole thing seriously and can’t wait to see your input. Please sit. We have a lot to get through.”

I take a seat across the table with managers on each side and across from a whole set of YG staffers armed with notepads, iPads, and computers. The woman from earlier turns on the projector and goes through the slides in half Korean and half English as a means to connect both sides as much as possible. The woman, Sue, was very good at her job. She would stop and explain the situations that would happen and explain their means of tackling the issue. The way she described their work made me more confident to have signed the deal with them. 

“And this is where we are nowt,” Sue stops the slide, “The movie company wants you to do a spread to introduce you to the American audience. We’re going to do a media take over on our sites and partners. I have a few entertainment agencies ready to hop on. I asked Korea HQ if we could see it attached to them to hype you up and they offered to speak to Channel and see if they want to be attached. So to sum things up, this photoshoot will be a total of one week of shoots around LA and San Diego. We’ll make half of them for your photo books and the other for press’ use. Channel will provide your wardrobe, they have to, and we have our top stylist, makeup artists, and hair people on the set to doll you up.”

The woman, Sue, smiles proudly at revealing her plan and waits for our input. The slides behind her stop at a shot of a large panoramic picture of the city. My manager, Hyeon-Ju, raises a brow and narrows his eyes. I try to bite back a smirk at his attempt to raise said eyebrow, it usually comes out as raising both brows instead of one, and pay attention to him.

“And the photographer? Jennie has been the muse of many well-known artists,” Hyeon-Ju says while crossing his arms, “We will not settle for the bottom of the barrel there as well…”

Sue blinks then rapidly nods her head with a force that leaves me concerned with the placement of her glasses. 

“Yes, yes. Don’t worry about that,” the woman assures us, “We have an amazing photographer set up for the occasion. She’s been in heavy demand since she changed subject matter, a breakout artist if you will.”

“What’s her name,” I finally speak up, “Have we heard of her? Has she worked with anyone I know?”

Ken chuckles happily across from the table, “Yes. You have. Manoban, you will be working with her. She’s worked with all the models and stars that have graced the most notable magazine covers for the past two years. Her most recent shoot was with Lady Gaga for Elle Magazine. She’s booked for the first half of next year and we had to convince her to get off her vacation week to come to shoot for this.”

“Manoban,” my manager says slowly, “You mean the same one that shot Kim Jisoo for her own Elle Magazine photoshoot for next month, the Korean version? The mysterious one that doesn't do interviews?”

_Jisoo unnie worked with her? I don’t remember her mentioning her, but then again I haven’t spoken to her since before that shoot should have taken place._

“That’s the one,” one of the other managers said, “She’s fluent in quite a few languages and is very easy to work with. We figured you might want someone that speaks Korean to help you get settled in. If things go well, I'm sure we can convince her to add you to her List.”

I frown, “Her List?”

“Yes, her List,” Sue nods to me, “She has a small VIP List, just like all top photographers do, of people that she prioritizes to work with. Miss. Kim Jisoo is being reviewed for the number of issues sold, but I think she will be the newest added to it anyway. Lisa seemed to enjoy her company and I think they stared a friendship from it. I honestly haven’t asked since Lisa is alway outside exploring the cityscape but Miss. Jisoo sent a nice package of Korean snacks to her.”

“Don’t forget the copies of her CDs,” Ken cuts in, “All three are signed and came with a letter she taped to her desk.”

“But is she good,” I bring back the situation to work matters, “Can I see some of her work? I’d like to have an idea of her style.”

“Of course,” Ken smiles, “Cindy, could you please bring Lisa’s binder from the On File section in the Room?"

A skinny blonde woman nods and quickly walks out of the meeting room.

“Trust me when I say that Lisa is the perfect one for this job, Miss. Jennie,” Sue assures me, “She may be young but her experience is like no other.”

“What do you mean,” my manager asks with a frown, “How young is she?”

“She just reached her twenties,” Sue answers with an excited gaze, “But, she’s worked professionally since she was sixteen and had internships since she was fourteen. She’s well known in the Science and journalism community as she worked for Nat Geo and Time Magazine before coming here.”

“She’s worked for news outlets and science journals,” I ask confused, “How does that add up to capturing people?”

“Yes, she has,” Ken says as the Cindy woman comes back in and hands him a thick black binder, “She’s multi-faceted. Lisa did a shoot for Heidi Klum and she’s been in demand here ever since.”

I take the binder Ken hands me and place it in front of me. A picture of three cats basking in the sun is placed in the plastic cover pocket. The three cats are white and grey, staring out of the large bay window they sit in front of. I raise a brow at the loopy signature at the bottom right corner, it looks like a signature from a celebrity rather than someone that is behind the camera lens. The ‘a’ is a large star and instead of a full middle name, she wrote just her first initial in a large loopy way. Not wanting to prolong my curiosity, I open the binder and freeze upon seeing the first picture.

“Stunning right?”

Sue’s comment makes me nod but I don’t move my eyes from the picture. The picture was crystal clear, which is funny because the subject matter was the inside of a glacier cave, and made me feel as if I was standing there. I could practically feel the Arctic air hitting my cheeks and the snowflakes sticking to my eyelashes. My fingers trace the naturally jagged ice formations for a moment until I come back to the present and flip the page. I gasp at the picture, this one of a thick jungle that has a tall dark man cutting through the vegetation with a large machete. The shot was captured during a swing and the blur of the man’s arm looks to be three instead of one.

I go through almost two dozen pictures of landscapes, some with wildlife as the main subject and others with native people unknowingly being the center as they go on with their chores. My jaw is unhinged by the time I reach a separation tab and look over her staged work. The first pictures are of young people, models most likely, sporting the latest fashion and in poses that scream 'cool' and 'graceful'. About a dozen pages after that the subjects become more well known to me, beginning with Heidi Klum just as Ken stated.

I pause at one particular photo, a pair of Hispanic looking women, dressed complementary to each other and staring at each other with an electric stare. On the next page, the paler of the two leans back in a tub filled with milk water with her neck in full display and sexual expression on her pretty face.

"Macarena Achaga," Ken says across from me catching sight of the binder, "She's a new rising star in Mexico. She is in a soap opera along with the young lady from the picture before. They're a couple in the series and are famous in the LGBT community."

"Did they ask for her," my manager asks.

"No," Ken shakes his head, "Lisa reached out and they got together to convince Mexico Cosmo of a shoot. Needless to say when Lisa Manoban wants a five-page spread she gets it."

I blink rapidly down at the picture then look up, "Is she-"

"She is Thai," Ken answers before I can finish my question, "Thailand is more open them most parts of Asia, correct? Well, she lived out of it too. Her family lived in Australia during her early years and she went to school in New York City for Photography. Art students are freer then the rest, if you know what I mean?"

"I know that first hand," I mumble under my breath and continue through the book.

I flip the page and grin upon seeing my best friend before me. Jisoo, in all her ethereal glory, sits in the middle of a French-styled room and covers her face in mid-laugh. She's looking past the directed lense, most likely to the photographer, and is so happy that it shines in her eyes. In the couple pictures that follow, Jisoo is spread across a table with her denim jacket half on her frame and her long hair covering half her face. The intention of the shoot looks to be ‘effortless and domestic.’ Miss Monoban is highly skilled and the pictures look natural and unforced. Its the last picture of Jisoo with a peacefull face staring out of a window that helps me decide. 

I look up to the waiting American managers, "I guess if Jisoo unnie liked her…"

"Excellent," Sue claps, "We'll begin on Monday, I know you have your meeting with the movie studio tomorrow. I suggest you meet Lisa on Sunday so you get to know her. Cindy, could you please set up a nice lunch for them to get together?"

The room them explodes with taking managers and keyboard clicking. I, on the other hand, turn back to the binder, completely amazing by the talent this Lisa person has. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

I run down the street, completely ignoring the glares from the people walking the same path, and take a sharp turn into the large and fancy shopping mall. I keep my pace but spare a wave and grin to the employees that catch my eye. A few waiters call out my name while a mall cop laughs while scolding my pace. Rosie’s shop is on the top floor of the mall and has a wonderful view of the lower floor as well as the sci-fi bar on the other side of the floor. Its spot is perfect for tourists to enjoy but also spaces privet enough for celebrities to visit on their way to or from the theme park the shopping mall leads to.

I reach the escalator and ignore the machine’s effort to take me up. Instead, I take the metal stairs two at a time until I reach the top and continue my way to _The Garden_. The final turn leading to the restaurant is decorated with colorful outdoor tables separated from the path by artfully cut shrubbery. I quickly jump over a hippo shaped bush and run towards the entrance leading inside. Another obstacle appears at the door and I duck under the lanky waiter’s outstretched arm that is holding a tray of drinks.

“Whoa!”

“Sorry, Leo,” I shout as I pass the young man, “Rosie will kill me if I’m late again!”

“If she doesn’t,” he shouts back with a snarl, “I will!”

I laugh at his anger, he never is truly mad at anything, and make my way inside. I smile to the customers and wave to the employees with each stride I take towards the kitchen. Luck is on my side as my wristwatch chimes for my designated arrival at the same time as I walk through the metal swinging doors.

“Yo! Yo! Yo!”

“Well look who decided to show up on time!”

A happy grin pulls at my lips at the sound of my best friend’s shrill, yet still musical, outburst. Rosie’s annoyed but surprised glare only makes me giggle the closer I get to her. My best friend since childhood, Rosanne Park or Rosie for short, was my favorite person even with the glare she’s shooting at me. The girl had been my best friend since my parent’s desition to moves us to Australia for their new string of restaurants. Daddy moved us to a nice two-story house just outside the richest suburbs and next to the Park family. It was the most perfect desition he made. After all, he received his most aspiring protege and I received a friend for life. 

I’m finally in front of the strawberry blonde when she turns from her spot next to the soup station so fast I barley catch her movements. Her manicured hand swats me like a whip and I gape playfully at her action while rubbing the area with my left hand. Rosie smirks at me with satisfaction before turning back to check on the soup the woman next to here is preparing.

“That’s the same treatment I get when I’m late,” I pout at her, “Maybe I should just be late anyway!”

The woman, Kelly, snickers at my friend as she makes signals to suggest I’m crazy. 

“I’m not crazy,” I huff, “I’m very sane!”

“Sure, you are,” Rosie rolls her eyes, “Let me remind you of your obsession with taking pictures of the same park _every day!”_

“You like my pictures…” I trail off with a watery pout.

It seems to do its trick and Chef Rosanne is gone, leaving me Rosie with a kiss to my quivering cheek.

“Calm down there Limario,” she smiles at me, “I’m just getting rid of the anger I was going to use on you.”

“You were gonna scold me again,” I narrow my eyes at the girl.

Rose grins again, “Duh! But lucky for you, you’re on time and I’m only annoyed that you didn’t answer my texts.”

I groan then, understanding her faux anger at me. 

_ Girls are hard to understand sometimes…_

“Honestly, boss,” Kelly chuckles at us, “Maybe you two should just get married now? Miss Lisa is here more than any of your boyfriends ever were!”

Kelly’s playful shade makes me laugh from my gut while Rose turns into Head Chef mode and begins scolding Kelly about her seasoning. I shake my head to calm down before shoulder checking Kelly on my way to Rosie’s office. I pass by the other stations in the large kitchen and greet the other workers with my easy grin. Once I’m at the door leading into the offices I feel Rosie’s hand on my shoulder.

“So what’s for dinner,” I ask turning around to walk backward.

The blonde laughs, “You’ll see. I’m sure you’ll eat it all but make sure you have enough space for-”

“Dessert,” I turn to her with puppy eyes, “You got dessert?”

“Of course dummy,” Rosie laughs, “I wouldn’t be the owner of the bakery next door if I didn’t!”

“YES!”

The dinner Rosie made was amazing, though why should I be surprised when my dad taught her everything he knows. We were now outside on the outdoor area having a cup of coffee and sharing the strawberry cake her pastry chef made for us. The mall is bustling with people, most Fridays are, and the bars nearby are quickly filling up for Happy Hour while the restaurants are setting up for late dinner reservations. I take my camera and take a few pictures of a couple eating happily near us. The young man looks nervous and keeps glancing at his coat while the young woman in front of him talk a mile a minute with a happy smile on her face.

“He’s proposing,” Rosie guesses when she follows where I’m pointed to.

“Most likely,” I grin, “Let’s hope you have his contact information so I can send them a copy.”

Rosie smiles at me and I wink back at her. I turn back just in time to see the young man place his hands over the girl’s hands. She stops talking and the man starts talking as a blush starts to collect on his cheeks. The girl bites her lip in amusement before her eyes widen at seeing the young man pull out a long thin box. He hands it to her and I take the shot. Hope and budding love shine between them and I can’t help but feel longing tug at my chest.

_Someday._

“Anniversary it is,” Rose sighs happily, “I love seeing people like this and being a part of it.”

I nod, “Yeah. It's nice.”

Rose calls for Leo and has the couple’s dinner tab canceled, she’s a sucker for love and usually gives out free dinner to a lucky couple when she can, before turning to me with a smile.

“He left an email address.”

I grin, “Great. That’s one less homeless picture.”

“One less,” the blonde furrows her brows, “What do you mean?”

I shift in my chair and grab my Earl Grey. The taste is just the appropriate level of sweet and the drink warms up my cheeks. I look up from my cup and see Rose staring at me with impatience. Her gaze both annoys me and comforts me. I can tell Rosie anything but sometimes she really does like pushing it. With a begrudging sigh, I answer her.

“I saw this girl today at the rose garden,” I trail off and look out into the distance, “She was…I don’t know? I guess ‘unreal’ is the word that comes to mind. She was really pretty. Gorgeous really. She looked like a princess. I just had to take a picture...”

“A princess,” my best friend smirks, “Did you talk to her?”

“No,” I frown, “A man, I guess her handler or bodyguard, walked her out and into this unmarked car before I could get her attention. It was so odd.”

Rose frowns, “Maybe she was the daughter of a rich guy? Or maybe a politician?”

I nod, “Maybe.”

“You said she was pretty,” my friend now grins at me, “Was she prettier than me?”

I roll my eyes, “Duh! Everyone is prettier than you!”

A piece of strawberry is flicked at me and hits me directly between my eyes. I cross my eyes on instinct and Rose starts laughing at me. I shake my head at her for a second then call her.

“Yo, Chae?”

“Hmm?”

I make a funny face at her and she bursts out laughing again, this time allowing a cute snort out of her lips. 

“Oh my god,” I gasp.

“I didn’t-”

Rosie’s traumatized look makes me laugh, she’s always a lady and snorting like a pig is not something they taught her in etiquette class. The moment passes and we’re quite and enjoying the slightly cooler temperature. The large outdoor heaters are being turned on by the staff around us and the nightlife is shifting again to its peak. Leo passes by again, this time taking our dirty plates, and we exchange how our days went. Rosie is in the middle of explaining the new truffle guy’s price mark up when my phone starts ringing. I pull my phone out from my coat pocket and see the main office number for YG. I show it to Rosie before swiping up and answering.

“Hello?”

_ “Hello, Miss Monoban. This is Cindy, Mr. Ken’s assistant.”_

I nod, “Hello Cindy. How can I help you?”

_ “Mr. Ken and a group of managers got together to meet our newest addition. Miss Jennie Kim from South Korea. Mrs. Sue suggested you two should meet before the shootings begin. We were hoping you have time to do it? She has a script review for her movie on Saturday and has only Sunday off. I know it is sudden but we do like having our people mingle as a sign of getting them involved with other artists.” _

I glance up at Rosie and mouth her, “Sunday?” 

She looks away in thought and then nods slowly, “I have a spot free here or if you want I can have the cafe closed to be more private?”

I think for a second then show her two fingers. My friend nods and leaves me to go call the shop and make the proper arrangements. I turn back to the conversation on my phone while pulling out a small book and pen I keep in my camera bag. 

“Yes. I have the perfect place for it. I can do lunch if she’d like? It’ll be at one of my friend’s restaurants just a short drive from Santa Monica Beach.”

_ “That sounds perfect. Miss Kim is staying at a penthouse suite at the Four Seasons. It's close to that area so it should be fine. She will be needing a body-”_

“No,” I shake my head at no one, “I’ll have the shop closed. It is a sperate building and easy to find. I’ll send you the address and a picture just in case. But, um, you said it was Jennie Kim. Right?”

_ “Yes ma;am. Mr. Ken spoke to you about her American debut, correct?”_

“I think so, yeah.”

_ “Well she arrived this morning and went through your work. You work with her friend, Jisoo Kim an Idol and actor from SM Entertainment, convinced her to work with you. She’s a K-Pop idol from JYP Entertainment and also has acted in several movies and dramas.”_

I scowl at the news but keep my annoyance to myself. All celebrities act the same no matter where they are from.

“All right Cindy,” I tell her slowly, “Tell Miss Jennie that I’ll meet her on Sunday then.”

_ “Thank you Miss Monoban. I’ll set everything up. Have a nice evening.” _

The line cuts and I groan out in the open. A few people around look at me in interest but I ignore them. I quickly write the time and date into my book along with a small sketch of Rosie’s cafe before tucking it into my bag. I curse over and over the way Ken had brought me from my vacation time, a promise of ten-page spread on at least three magazines and a deal for a year contract with Voge magazine.

“So who’s the hot date with,” Rose says, braking my inner rantings.

“Some K-Pop Idol that’s trying to make it big here,” I scowl, “Apparently she’s friends with that Jisoo girl and that’s the only way she _accepted_ I work with her.”

I cross my arms and scowl at the audacity this chick has before the silence from the girl in front of me breaks my tantrum. Rosie’s cheeks look well rosy, blushed and chubby, while her eyes sparkle with unconcealed awe. I raise a brow and go back into my sentence to see what cause her dreamy smile. 

_ What could it- Oh!_

I place my arms on the table and lean over, “Jisoo is taking over more than just the Western market, huh?”

“What,” my friend balks, shaken from her moment, “No. Pshh. No! I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

A smirk dances on my face and I nod, “Sure. Sure. And when I brought her here she magically had her food made by you because the staff was so busy on a Wednesday.”

Rose’s cheeks flush further, almost to the point of being the same shade of red that her name is on her shirt. I laugh at her embarrassment and make a mental note to send Jisoo a text about her new favorite Chef. 

_They’d look cute together._


	3. "Lunch Date"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I have chapter 3 here for you. I hope you enjoy it and don't hesitate to comment, I enjoy reading your opinions and suggestions.
> 
> If you do find errors, don't hesitate to let me know!

“I gosh, I hope I look presentable enough.”

“You look fine, Lis.”

I look up from my tugging at my tucked-in white shirt to look at Chae from across the cafe’s bar. Chae was wearing her chef whites along with her hair up in a stylish yet functional bun. She looked excited, completely not what I was feeling, and smiles at me with encouragement. I bite my lip and furrow my brows and look over my attire. My sparkly Celine jacket fangs perfectly over my frame, one of the most expensive pieces of clothes I bought for a fancy occasion, and my bellbottom jeans made my long legs look even longer. Near me on the bar is my red bag, big enough to stuff my necessities and also one of my smaller Olympus cameras from the 70s.

Shaking my head, I look up at Rosie with concern, “I hope this girl is okay with all this, The cafe and being casual. What if she ends up like one of those posh elites that Korea is known for?”

Rosie rolls her eyes, “It’ll be fine. If anything happens, I’m sure you’ll make it work. Besides if she is friends with Jisoo, then she’s a total sweetheart.”

“Oh yeah,” I smirk at the chef.

My bestie blushes and looks away but answers, “Yes…”

I chuckle at her soft reply, “Oh and how do you know? You’ve been talking to her?”

Chae doesn’t answer and instead she beings to play with the dishrag over her shoulder. Her ministrations make me curious that I look her over with narrowed eyes.

“Wait. Do you,” I ask seriously, “Do you talk to Jisoo?”

“Well…” Rosie whispers.

“OH MY GOD,” I gasp, “You do! When did that happen?!”

“Oh shush,” Rosie frowns at me with another blush, “She gave one of her friends the address to the restaurant and she showed up with them when she came to visit them. We kept in touch after that.”

“So Jisoo kept coming after I brought her for dinner at your place,” I smirk, “I guess that means you should thank me for helping you snag that hottie.”

The strawberry blonde groans, “Whatever, just keep it to yourself. You know what would happen if it got out that we-”

“That you’re in a blossoming long-distance relationship with a woman that is six thousand miles away,” I snicker.

“We’re not dating,” she huffs, “We’re just talking. She’s nice and I can see us as friends-”

“Sure, sure,” I continue to smirk at her, “And when I was just ‘talking’ to that model from YSL I didn’t end up hooking up with her on my last trip to Paris.”

“GAH!”

Rosie’s outburst makes me laugh. I hold onto the bar’s edge to not topple over in my chair while Rosie harrumphs and glares at me. 

“Oh come on,” I pant out through laughs, “Just admit you want her as your fancy famous girlfriend and I’ll let it go!”

“No you won’t,” Rosie mumbles.

I laugh again, this time overjoyed that she accepts my accusation. I turn away and the sight of a large black SUV parking in front of the cafe shuts me up and reminds me of the situation I’m in.

“Oh crap,” I huff, “The princess is here.”

“Be nice,” Chae says as she walks back into the kitchen.

“Only if she is,” I call back.

Two men in black suits walk into the cafe, each one tall and imposing and having a building shape of a weapon under their clothes. One of the men stays at the door and the other walks up to me. He looks rather normal, not attractive but also not terrible looking, and could easily be dismissed when walking in a crowded area. He takes off his aviator sunnies and looks down at me.

“Hello, miss,” his deep voice cracking with his Korean accent, “Are you Miss Manoban?”

“Yes,” I say to him in Korean, “I believe you are Miss Kim’s security? I did tell Cindy to pass off my note that its secure here. My friend owns the place so you don’t have to worry about anyone coming today.”

There is a little shock I see in the guard’s eyes but he shakes it off in a quick second then answers back in his native tongue.

“Yes well, we have to be with Miss Jennie at all times. She has mental health problems, anxiety and the like, and we prefer to be around just in case she would like to leave. We’re not just her guards, you see. We’re her handlers and medic team as well.”

My eyes widen at the news but I nod seriously at him, “Understandable. Well if you’d like we can close the front of the shop and go to the second floor, it has a nice view and we can open the glass doors leading to the balcony.”

“Yes ma’am,” he bows politely, “I shall fetch Miss Jennie then. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.”

I stare as the man bows again then quickly turns back to follow the other man outside. They both reach the SUV and two other men come out from the front, the driver and passenger seats. The men quickly set a perimeter and the man that spoke to me reaches for the back door. He opens the door slowly and offers a hand to the woman inside. A delicate hand holds onto the offered hand and a beige heel protecting a small foot is placed on the footstep attached to the SUV. I watch in interest to see what the girl would look like and my answer is given but not in the shape I was expecting.

“Oh my god…”

Adjusting herself as she stands outside of the SUV is the fairy princess I saw at Balboa just a few days ago. Wearing a long-sleeved blouse with golden buttons and tight light blue jeans is the girl I had not stopped thinking of since Friday. Her long brown hair fell perfectly over her shoulders and framed her face just right. She had on light make-up on her face but what little she had on did more wonders then a whole store could on some people. My breath hitches unintentionally as she pulls her hair to one side and the sun hits her form in a way that reminds me of portraits of saints in the Louvre I fawned over during my school days.

_A goddess just walked out her painting to grace me for lunch…_

My thoughts grind to a halt as she looks up and catches my stare from inside the cafe. Her chocolate eyes stare me down and I feel a shiver go down my spine. I stay frozen in place as two cat-like eyes look me over from head to toe then back up to stare into my soul. Her sharp gaze softens a few seconds later and turns into something fond and wistful, it’s as if she recognized me from someplace after her inspection of me. My eyes don’t leave hers as she is handed her white Chanel bag and is guided to the front door. 

The door’s chime echoes in the empty café. The sound of expensive high heels on the tile floor makes me shift in my spot and suddenly I’m transported back to my days as a traveler and needing to give the best impression to my hosts. The young woman stops and so do the four men behind her. A second passes and the manners my humble grandparents instilled in me turn on and I bow lowly to them while staring at the floor.

“Wellcome, Miss Kim,” I say in my fluent Korean, “My name is LaLisa Manoban. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

I stay in my position, not moving an inch from my low bow, as I wait for a response. My eyes glance up through my lashes and I see the most adorable thing in the world. The girl is blushing with a shocked look on her angelic face. She blinks rapidly as if trying to restart her brain and come up with a response. The guards around her seem to take things over and bow back at me just as lowly and with murmurs of ‘thank you for accepting our company’ in Korean. This snaps her back into reality and she bows bashfully back.

“It’s nice to meet you, Miss Manoban,” a heavenly voice leaves her perfect lips, “My name is Jennie Kim. Thank you for having us.”

We all right ourselves and things move along quickly. The men all nod to me and begin closing the blinds of the store. I watch for a moment as they struggle with the ropes but my attention goes back to Miss Jennie after feeling the curious gaze she’s giving me.

“Well then,” I try not to stutter, “There’s a private area on the second floor. If you’d follow me?”

The woman blinks the nods, “O-of course. Please lead the way.”

I walk towards the staircase at the back of the room, making sure to walk slow enough for the woman to follow me on her heels. I’m surprised as we walk up the wood staircase because the heels on her feet don’t hinder her at all. It’s as if she had been wearing those types of shoes all her life and the off-balance a staircase cause is nothing troublesome to her. 

_Does she go to sleep in them too?_

“So, how did you find this place,” Jennie asks once we reach the second floor.

“My friend owns it,” I answer while opening the double doors to the private room, “I brought a friend of yours here too. Miss Jisoo Kim?”

“Oh yes,” she smiles softly at the mention, “I was told you took photos for her. I saw some of them, along with others in your Folder. You’re very talented.”

I stop mid-step into the room and look over at the girl. Her eye, seeming to never have left my back, trial up and stare into mine. They’re clear and full of sincerity, completely not the vibe I had gotten when Cindy told me of her approval of me. It throws me off but also makes my chest swell from the compliment. 

_If this piece of art of a woman is giving me compliments then it must be true? Right?_

“Uhm,” I lip my bottom lip, “Uh, thanks…”

The girl’s soft lips form a teasing smirk and I feel a gush of heat collect on my cheeks. I bashfully look away and walk to the table all while ignoring the amused gaze on my back. I push back my emotions and focus on this sort-of-not-really-date.

“Table for two,” I turn to her and wave my hand at the single table. 

Jennie smiles at me from the entrance and I can’t help but stare as her hips sway with each step towards me. She reaches me and I bow playfully at her before pulling out the chair for her. She softly thanks me and I wave it before helping her settle in. 

“Do you treat every girl like this or am I a special case?”

I’m caught again in mid-motion, this time halfway sitting down, by her soft voice. I look up at her and an adorable smirk is on her lips. I take a second to process what she means and once it hits me, a stronger blush pools at my cheeks. I cough and sit down, pulling the napkin into my lap and opening it to cover my right knee. She raises a brow at the manners I show and does the same but more gracefull then I could ever hope to achieve. 

“Reading the room,” I say softly.

“‘Reading the room,’” she echoes, “Why do you say that?”

I think for a second then answer, “You give off a regal feel around you. I mean you brought your knights with you.”

This makes her laugh a musical laugh that pulls at my heartstrings. I grin as a childish smile pulls at her soft cheeks. She looks so young that I can’t help feel fondness towards this woman I just met. We’ve only spoken for a few minutes yet she’s got me wrapped around her fingers already.

“Well,” she slowly talks out of her giggles, “I guess that makes me a princess in your eyes?”

I bite my lip and nod, “You look the part. It’s not that much of a stretch.”

A thrill fills me as an adorable blush dusts her cheeks. She looks bashfully at me then looks away out to the balcony. There’s an electric charge surrounding us and it feels warm and pleasant.

“Hello, ladies.”

I look over to the voice and see Rosie with a few of her pastry chefs. They have a small cart with them filled with sweets and drinks. I count at least three types of cake and four types of cookies. I had asked beforehand if Jennie was allergic to anything and being told she was all clear had Rosie cooking up a storm for today. My friend gives her kind smile at the woman across from me then bows lowly just as her eomma taught her. 

“It’s a pleasure to have you here, Miss Kim,” Rosie says in perfect Korean, “My name is Chea-young Park or if you’d prefer it, my Aussie name it’s Roseanne Park. I hope you enjoy our food and your stay here in the States.”

Jennie glances at me then bows back allowing Rosie to stand up straight, “Thank you for having me. I’m sure I have nothing to worry about your food. Jisoo-unnie said you’ve got quite the talent in the kitchen.”

Rose’s eyes widen and I see thrill and surprise swirl in her hazel eyes, “O-oh. Well. I suppose Jisoo is just being kind.”

I watch as Jennie’s mind comes to the same conclusion I did, smart girl, and smirks at my friend.

“Jisoo is picky,” she fishes, “She took down a few chefs for their subpar meals when we went abroad last year to Paris. She doesn’t give compliments that easily or grand.”

The puppy in white uniform seems to vibrate in the quiet suggestion and I cough back a laugh. Rosie definitely was crushing on a Korean pop star.

_She’s probably not the only one…_

“Well, I brought these sweets but I also have a small dish here as the heavy plate,” the chef says taking the two plates on the second shelf and placing them in front of us, “It’s a nice pasta dish I came up with recently so you two are the first to try it outside the kitchen. I hope you enjoy it. If you’d like anything else, don’t hesitate to call us.”

With one final bow, Rosie leaves us to eat. I look down at the plate and my mouth waters at the fancy pasta she decided to make. The pale green color would have shocked anyone but knowing the chef’s need to make her meals as colorful as they are flavorful only made me even more ready for the dish. 

“This looks really good,” Jennie says under her breath.

“Rosie is the best,” I nod while picking up my fork, “Daddy trained her personally after she graduated from culinary school. She knows all of his and mom’s recipes. Whenever I’m feeling homesick, she makes me my favorite dishes at her place.”

“Your father is a chef,” Jennie asks with a raised brow.

“Yes,” I nod proudly, “He and mom are chefs. They own a lot of restaurants and my dad is in charge of the Swiss Michelin Star group. He’s in charge of all the major food festivals and conventions for them too.”

“Wow,” the girl gapes, “He’s famous I take it?”

“Among the foodie community,” I smirk, “But yeah, he is. Rosie won a scholarship to a top school in Melbourne and then got top marks. Daddy offered to be her head chef while she trained and she accepted. That’s how Rosie ended up here, dad wanted to expand over here and she offered to open a restaurant under both their names. She opened it only two years ago and it’s been the top restaurant in the area ever since.”

“You sound so proud of her,” Jennie smiles at me, “Like when I talk about Jisoo to anyone.”

I nod happily, “We’ve been friends for so long, since we were kids really, and we’ve been through a lot. We’re like total best friend soulmates.”

Jennie laughs, “Yeah I can see that. I’m guessing you taste test things for her?”

“Mostly,” I nod, “She sometimes thinks I sugar coat things but she’s just good at what she does.”

“I get that,” the woman nods, “Whenever I write a new song I go to Jisoo or Irene. They always know what to say and how to say it. Sometimes it’s not always compliments but that’s what helps the most, you know when someone is critical. I prefer someone to be brutally honest.”

I nod again, “Yeah. Yeah. I hate it when people don’t tell you their true thoughts it’s like-”

“They’re sucking up.”

“Yeah! Yeah!”

“And then when you don’t go to them for advice-”

“They shut you out and then-”

“They get all whiney and-”

“Annoy you to death so you avoid them!”

Jennie and I share a roll of our eyes then the room becomes quiet. A beat passes and well look up at each other. A swirl of amusement shines in her eyes and she purses her lips in an attempt to not laugh. I wiggle my brows and all her concentration goes to waste. Another magical laugh leaves her and I can’t help following her. She stops and stares at me than another round of laughter, this one harder then those before, leaves her. I stare in confusion as she goes through the motions until she directs herself to me.

“You have a funny laugh,” she grins, “It’s dorky.”

“I-I uhmm,” blushing and stuttering seems the only thing I can do around her.

“So what about you,” she bits her lip attractively, “What’s your story?”

I raise a brow, “I’m not that interesting really.”

“Aww come on,” a cute whine leaves her lips, “You told me all about your friend and she’s not the one I’m eating with!”

My eyes focus on her cute pout and after a few seconds I shake my head and finish up my food. Jennie huffs and I debate on what to say until I lose my resolve and look up at her. Her gaze had never left me and I feel thrilled to be in the center of her thoughts right then.

“Mom met dad when I was a baby,” I began softly, “They got together and he moved us to Switzerland for my toddler years. After some time we went back to Thailand because gramps got sick and mom got worried. After things settled and I was around nine, daddy was offered to start a restaurant chain with some French guy in Australia. He accepted and we went to Melbourne. It was hard at the beginning, the little English I learned in Switzerland was basic speaking, but after being with Rosie it improved. We graduated school and Rosie went on her way to chef school and I was offered a space in the Photography program in The New School in New York City-”

“You were in New York,” she gasps, “I studied there for some time!”

“Really,” I gape, “No way!”

“Yeah,” she nods eagerly, “I was in a law program during the summer before my audition. My parents wanted me to be an attorney. I didn’t vibe with the place while I was there and wanted something else when it was finished. That’s how I ended up auditioning for JYP instead.”

“Wait” I furrow my brows, “When was this? Don’t K-Pop idols train for years? You debuted like three years ago, right?”

Jennie smirks at me, “I trained for almost six years. I worked on projects other the singing during that time. Some acting with Jisoo and some commercials with Irene, other times I helped in the studio or helped write songs. I was put into the training program when I was fourteen so they had to-”

“FOURTEEN?!”

“Yeah.”

My eyes widen and I stare intently at her, “You’re telling me that you are a child genius! That you could have become the youngest attorney like ever!”

“Well not ever,” she tilts her head in thought, “I graduated with this guy that would have started Uni at nine-”

“WHAT KIND OF WATER DO YOU KOREANS DRINK?!”

My outburst drives Jennie into another laughing fit. I shake my head in wonder at the woman in front of me. I was expecting an airheaded princess with a prissy attitude and instead, I got a soft-spoken child genius with a kind smile and magical laugh.

_Don’t judge a book by its cover they said…_

“You’re really something, Miss Kim,” I say in awe.

My tone quiets down the pop star and she looks at me with unreadable eyes. 

“You’re really something too, Miss Manoban,” she drawls. 

My heart flutters at the way my last name leaves her lips. The look she gives me helps little to calm me down, I could only describe her hypnotic gaze as ‘alluring’ and ‘flirty.’ 

“How are we doing here?”

I blink rapidly then turn to my right, a happy Chae stood near us with a loaded look in her eyes. I shift under her accusing gaze, knowing full well the conversation we would be having would be about the woman in front of me, and glance to Jennie for her response.

“It’s very lovely, Chef Park,” Jennie smiles, “Jisoo was not exaggerating, and neither was your friend. You’re very talented.”

I look away and blush all the while feeling Chae’s amused stare burning into my profile. A beat passes and Rosie takes the lunch plates back to the kitchen with her. I turn just in time to watch my friend give me a smirk on the way out of the room. In an effort to hold back another Earth warming blush, I turn to the cart and gran the warm tea and a few plates of cookies to set on the table. 

“Well then, let’s eat some of this,” I say in the best non-awkward way I can, “Would you like some cake or…”

“Yes please,” she nods.

I quickly serve her a small piece of both chocolate and strawberry cake before grabbing some for myself. It is at that moment that the sun hits perfectly through the glass windows of the balcony and shines golden beams into the white room. The artist in me is activated and my eyes slowly take in the different aura the room has. The crystals of the chandelier glitter in the light and make small speaks of distorted light shine along the walls and empty tables. Shadows are almost non-existent already but with the sun the knowledge of shadow has disappeared in the room.

I look back to the specks of light that fall on the table and see how fairytale-like the whole tea seat up looks. I’m reminded of a fantasy tea party for a moment then my eyes trail up to see Jennie holding her cup of tea in delicate hands. Her pose completes the fantasy my mind places me and my hands itch at grabbing my camera. With reluctance I shift in my seat, trying to decide what to do. 

Jennie senses my odd mood and looks up to me, “Is...something wrong?”

“N-no,” I shake my head, “It’s just…”

“Just…”

I bit my lip and furrow my brows. Her sharp eyebrow raises in suspense. I blow out a surprising amount of air from my lungs then glance away before looking straight into her eyes.

“May I capture you?”

**“Wh-what?”**

The brunette stares at me in shock and confusion. My ears almost twitched at the lovely accented English that left her and a cute crinkle shows up between her furrowed eyebrows that made my hands twitch even more to smooth it out. I blink rapidly again and shift in my seat at her skittish reaction. I internally cus myself at my stupid wording and unnecessary way of scaring the kitten in front of me.

_Bad wording, Manoban! What did the guard guy say? Try again!_

So I do. This time I speak slowly and clearly and softly.

“The light looks lovely on you,” blushing is now added to the stuttering list, “May I take some pictures? I’ll send them to you, obviously. It’s just….you look very beautiful in this light…”

Red hot flames burst onto her soft pale skin. Her fluffy cheeks are the only speck of color on her and it makes her look even more lovely. She looks down at her cup and my mind runs a mile a minute at posing possibilities for both the shoot and right now. Finally, she looks up with her blush still on display and she nods with her bottom lip caught between her teeth. A wave of joy flutters in my chest again and I turn quickly to my bag that hanged behind me, if I was quick enough to draw my weapon she wouldn’t change her mind.

I set up my cam then glance around the room. I estimate about a good ten minutes before the light shifts of the clouds cover the sun’s beams. With a nod, I turn back to Jennie and see that she’s pensive while watching me work. I smile at her and get ready to take the first shot.

“Could you please hold your cup up again, don’t smile, and please look towards the balcony,” I direct.

She hesitates but does as I ask. I snap quickly, fingers almost getting caught in the space between my timer and light exposure, then direct her into a new pose. Before long I have to change film rolls, thank god for my overpacking, and I’m out of my chair to take panoramic pictures of the woman. With each picture, I conjure up a new set and a new pose for her photoshoot. It’s like I have a black hole filled with ideas to use for capturing her, something I haven’t had since taking up this new branch of photography. 

_A new muse...could she be it?_

The light shifts and the tea has gone cold. I pant from my quick changes in position for each shot and stand up to catch my breath. It feels like I had just run a marathon or had run down the stairs of Barcelona’s historic district once again, thrilling and pleasant. I smile at the girl and quickly look at my shot count.

“Well if you look at that, Miss Kim,” I chuckle, “You used up three whole film rolls!”

“R-really?”

Jennie’s stutter grabs my attention and I look up at her. Her blush is back but instead of embarrassed, it’s more happy and excited. I nod my head like a bobble toy and the action makes her giggle. Her eyes shine and her cheeks expand with her large girn. 

“Well, then I guess this means we will run out of rolls for the shoots,” the girl whispers softly.

“I think we will,” I whisper back.

Our eyes meet and an electric current flows between us. Her position in her chair forces her to look up to me, and I down to her. I can’t help but think of how it would be if she stood in front of me. If her warmth was directly next to me and her perfume’s scent flittering under my nose. A flash of soft lips on mine appears in my head and I shake it off quickly and look away effectively making the room cold again.

“It’s getting late,” I hum and tinker with my camera, “You have to rest. Your press tour starts tomorrow before our first shoot…”

“Um, yeah,” she looks away and her voice changes, “I guess you’re right.”

“Would you like to take some with you,” I say eager to please, “I can get Rosie to pack some up for you…”

“I don’t know-”

“Oh please, I insist,” I begged, “I didn’t let you eat any sweets.”

Jennie ponders for a moment then nods, “Alright. But not too much. I can’t eat too many sweets…”

“Diet,” I smile playfully.

The girl rolls her eyes, “No. I’ll probably eat them all and give myself a stomach ache.”

I smirk at her response but let it go. Jennie gracefully stands and I offer her my arm for her to take. She stares at my arm for a second and I see a rush of different emotions pass by her eyes. She takes my arm and I walk her down the stairs. It seems Chae is a step ahead of us and had given Jennie’s guards a few boxes full of pastries. The Chef and her employees bid their guests goodbye and we’re left alone for a moment while her guards ready the SUV. 

“Well I guess I’ll see you at the shoot tomorrow afternoon,” I say slowly.

“Yes,” she nods, “It was very nice getting to know you, Miss Mano-”

“Lisa.”

“What?”

“Please call me Lisa.”

Jennie looks me over, just like when she first arrived, and her gaze turns soft and wistful once they meet mine.

“Okay, but that means you have to call me Jennie in return,” the pop star smiles.

I bite my lip and nod eagerly, “Of course. I hope you enjoyed my company...Jennie”

The girl looks away and her cheeks turn pink, “I hope you feel the same.”

The answer freezes me in place and she turns away. Her hips sway in an attractive and seductive way while her heels 'click' on the tiled floor, forcing my eyes to follow. Just before she exits the shop, she glances over her shoulder and gives me one final smile and wave. My eyes don’t leave the scene outside and I bearly give Chae a reaction once she comes to stand next to me.

“So are how did it go?”

The SUV’s door closes behind the woman and the vehicle quickly drives out of the parking space and into the heavy Las Angeles traffic. A dreamlike state falls over me and I relive the whole lunch in my mind.

“I have no idea…”


	4. "Lost Dreams"

“Right this way, Miss Kim.”

_I’m sooo tired of my name right now!_

“Right, lead the way,” I grunt out.

It’s the afternoon and I can’t count the number of times I heard my name today. It’s a godsend that my firs press meetings were done and I had actual work to do. My anxiety levels were high this morning just at the thought of speaking with people but, as always, I manage and did go through with the junket. It would have been easier if they were a little less probing then the Korean media but seeing that this was my introduction to the American market, I would have to deal with them as best as I can for now. 

The only thing keeping me from pulling my hair out was the thought of seeing a specific Thai photographer today. Lisa had been a pleasant surprise this past weekend. She was goofy and polite, a ray of sunshine. It felt like a friend date more than a business forced meeting. She was funny and made me feel comfortable. I could see myself being good friends with her after all this was over. I had meant to call Jisoo to ask more about Lisa but got no response from my old friend. It made me a little suspicious but not that I knew why Jisoo makes the effort to visit the States often, I could potentially get her to come to visit during my three-month stay.

The young man takes a sharp turn deeper into the large estate’s hallways and I struggle a little to catch up. A few minutes pass by and we make our way through two tall double doors into a large ballroom. The walls are white molded wood with gold trim and the floors are white marble also with gold trim. At the center of the room is a makeshift stage with many instruments placed for the imaginary band to play. All the instruments are black except for an acoustic guitar that is white with rose-gold accents. 

“Hello, there! I hope you’re ready to work!”

I look to my right and see Lisa smiling and walking towards my group from an area that holds the crew’s things. The lanky woman is dressed in a white pull-over sweater and acid-washed jeans. Both articles had matching patches ironed onto their surfaced and slow matched the beanie the blonde wore on her head. I look over her once again and can’t help smile at her skater chic outfit.

“Going out to the half-pipe later today,” I tease.

Lisa gins, “Maybe. Come on. I’ve got everything ready. I want to highlight your musical talent for this one but also make you look like a princess. It’ll be a little tough, so tell me if you need a break Also, if you have any ideas tell me. I like adding my subject’s touch to these things too. It’s a little fan service too.”

Thourily impressed by her battle plan I nod and walk with her to the crew’s camp. I make out a few people that had gotten me ready a few days ago at a meet-and-greet and wave to them. The girls smile at me but I can’t help but notice how some of them give lingering gazes at the woman next to me.

“You’ve thought this through,” I hum.

“I listened to some of your music during the weekend,” Lisa supplies, “I was impressed to see how many fan bases you have so I thought ‘Korea’s It Girl’ deserves a nice spread of scenes and wardrobe. Lucky for me, your partners are eager to provide. I had my assistant call a few other mags, too. YG is a bit laid back on PR, I suggest you jump when you can, so I did some digging. Some are on the waitlist but I hooked you up with Rolling Stone meanwhile-”

“Wait,” I turn to the blonde with a gasp, “You got me pages on Rolling Stone?”

Lisa smiles smugly, “A whole spread. Five pages and a three-page article. Your welcome.”

“You’re the one that added them to the list?”

I turn behind me and see my manager stare at Lisa with an unhinged jaw. The rest of my group has a similar stare at her and Lisa just smiles and shrugs.

“I’ve got friends,” she answers and continues walking but stops and turns to me, “Go with the girls and they’ll get you ready. Any music preferences? I like listening to music while working.”

I shake my head and she smiles one final time before going back to her spot near a long table filled with photography gear. I watch as a tall young man walks up to her and points out the scene in front of her. 

“I wonder how many connections she has,” I hear behind me.

The rest of the day goes by quickly but also slowly. Just like during our lunch date, Lisa would politely ask me to move in position or do as I want while moving around me in different heights to take her pictures. Her assistant would sometimes take pictures in-between while she would switch lights or cameras or lenses but only under her instruction. The whole crew around her worked like a well-oiled machine around her, doing as she says or signaled. I could tell she had worked with this crew many times as they each worked quickly to get the photographer’s wishes completed. By the time the first break was called, true to her word, Lisa had gone through four rolls of film along with five memory cards of digital film.

Emma, one of the makeup people, freshness up my lipstick and I keep my eyes on Lisa’s back as she walks back to her table.

“I’m surprised she called a break,” Emma tells me.

I look up at her and raise a brow in as an answer. 

Emma smiles and explains, “She has shoots almost every day. They’re usually three or four hours before a break. There’s rarely a weekend or time off with her, too. We were really surprised when she called us to come out of vacation.”

My eyes widen, “I’m so-”

“Don’t worry dear,” she smiles, “It’s alright. You’re important and we get that. Lisa already told us we have another two weeks off for doing this, so pay no mind. But what I was saying was, she must like you if she gave you a break so soon.”

“Really,” I ask.

Emma hums, “She wouldn’t even let Beyonce get out of her pose a few months ago for her Nike shoot.”

I glance over at the woman and Emma laughs.

“Go ahead then,” she smirks, “Enjoy your fifteen minutes, Jennie.”

I nod and get off the chair and move slowly to the photographer. Lisa is messing with her camera and I look over at her work. She moves fast, obviously well practiced with her movements, and my eyes stare at the way her long fingers move the settings over and over. I blink rapidly and look up the blonde. 

"So, did you always want to be a photographer? I don't mean to overstep but-"

Lisa stops her movement and she freezes in place. She looks up, not to me, but a point far away. Her eyes darken in thought and I feel guilty at bringing that look on her face, she looks much prettier when her sunshine smile is shining at me instead. Her hazel eyes darken and I can partially see her reliving whatever is there. Her hands tighten on the lense in her right hand to the point of making her hand white. I put my hand over hers and call her name a few times.

"Lisa?"

She blinks and then looks back at me. I pull my hand away and she looks down at her hand. She opens it and a thick mark of the lense pushing against her hand is shown to us. A moment passes by then Lisa hesitates and she looks around us. The workers appear not to be listening but both the photographer and I know they are. Dispatch always got their best stories from workers in the industry, everyone knows that and it won’t change even if the artists are overseas. The woman in front of me sighs and continues cleaning the lenses on the table in front of her, making sure to pack them in their designated case, then she speaks.

"I was in a dance team back in Thailand. I was the lead for the girls' group and my best friend was the lead for the boy's group. We won a ton of trophies and got a ton of recognition from all around the country," Lisa pauses and smiles sadly with the same dark look in her eyes, "When we moved to Aussie, mom wanted to put me in another group once I got the hang of English, dancing was the one thing that made sense to me and she was sure it would help me fit in. I went to school for about a month, trying to blend in but with no luck. Most Asian people there are from Vietnam so finding Thai people was like finding a gas station on the moon. I ended up reading books to try and catch up. Watching tv. Listening to Western music. Stuff like that, you know?"

I stare as Lisa's dark look changes to an amused tone. Her smile turns bright and a little wrinkle appears between her eyes. She grins and it feels like the sun popping out from behind dark thunderclouds, bright and full of relief. A warm feeling collects in my chest and I grin from staring at her contagious smile.

"I was reading on the porch one day," she smirks, "And then a basketball rolled in front of me. The girl next door was playing with her cousin and she invited me to play with them. I said ‘yes’ and we’ve been attached at the hip ever since."

I smile now, happy to know that Lisa's sadness finally let up with the help of the bubbly chef.

“Soulmates,” I say to her.

Lisa giggles at my reminder of yesterday and she continues.

"Rosie helped me with my English and I eventually learned Korean from being with her family so much," Lisa's expression changes again and it's much darker than before, "We were playing outside. Rosie was helping me practice my free throws...It happened so fast. One second we were laughing and the next…"

The woman looks up to me and our eyes catch. I shiver at the look in her eyes but push myself to answer.

"What happened," I dared to ask.

"A driver on their phone went onto the sidewalk and ran us both down," Lisa says slowly.

The woman once again stares away, reliving the incident. I don't pry, I just allow her time to think. A moment later she speaks again.

"I ended up knocked out for a month. The tendons on my left calf were fucked up and my back was dragged on the concrete hard enough and long enough that my nerves were in shock. I couldn’t walk properly for a few months. Rosie, thank god, only had a broken leg and mild concussion but she still gets night terrors of the incident. She’s the one that saw everything. Poor thing thought I was,” Lisa pauses then sighs, “Anyway, we were injured for the rest of that school year. And so, I didn’t get to go into the dance team.”

"And that's how your dreams to be a dancer ended," I raised a brow, “That’s very-”

The woman cuts me off and shakes her head, "No."

I frown, "No?"

"Being a dancer was Plan B," Lisa shrugs.

"What was Plan A, then," I frown at her.

"You're living it, princess," the woman smiles sadly.

"W-what," I gasp.

"There was to be an audition in Sydney two weeks after the accident happed, for JYP," Lisa explains, "Around the same time, there would be the first-ever audition in Bangkok too. Rosie was going to audition in Sydney and I was going to the one in my hometown. We planned on getting through…work our way out together...like we always did..."

A vacant look reaches her eyes. I see a life not lived swirl in those hazel depths and feel saddened that her dreams were taken from her. It reminds me of those years I trained and saw some of my friends' dreams go the same way. Some trainees would stay for three months, others for three years. It was hard to see dreams fade and end at a young age but it made me appreciate where I am now. 

"The worst part is, we didn't even get to try out," Lisa frowns, "It would be different if we auditioned and not accepted but it just stings a bit more like this. Our dreams were taken from us. I lost both Plan A and B..."

"Things worked out anyway, right," I ask hopefully, “You both seem happy to me…”

She smiles down at her hands and nods, "Yeah. I was in a wheelchair for a month or so, had a lot of time to just stare at things around me. I started drawing then dad bought me a camera and well that's how it started. Rosie was around a lot, guilty that she got out of it the best out of us two, and she ended up helping around the kitchen with mom. She found out she was just as good at cooking as she was at eating. We separated for a while to find ourselves but ended up together again here in California. So yes, things turned out quite well in the end."

"I'm sorry that happened to you," I say softly, "You were so young…'

Lisa shrugs with her smile still in place, "I've made peace with it. We’ve made peace with it. We were robed time but found something just as artistic to focus on. Rosie is a famous chef and I get to shoot pretty places and pretty people. I think that’s a good outcome. It could have ended up dead or stuck in a wheelchair, but instead, I’ve managed to climb Mt. Everest twice before the age of twenty-five. Besides whenever we’re feeling the need to perform, we just hit up this karaoke bar on Citywalk. We put up quite a show too."

"Oh really," I grin, "You've still got it?"

"Never lost it," she scoffs, "Singing I can do. Dancing is a bit hard, nerves don't heal all the way, but I can manage."

"I'd like to see it then," I raise a brow, "If you think you were good enough to audition, then your either talking crap or delusional."

The woman looks up to me with wide eyes, “What?”

“I want to see you perform,” I say while crossing my arms, “If you’re as good as you say, then it’s no big deal. Right?”

Lisa frowns and a pink blush collects on her cheeks. Her hair seems to frizz up like an angry lion and her fiery eyes burn brighter from my words. She looks like she wants to say something but I’m caught off guard when she walks around me and towards the set I was on a few minutes ago. The large ballroom is still mostly empty except for the multiple instruments set perfectly around the makeshift stage in the center of the room. Lisa walks confidently to the white guitar sitting on the silver stand and takes it. I watch in awe as she quickly goes through each string, tuning it to perfection, then walk back to me with a smug smile. 

I shake my head, “Guitar? Do you know how to play the guitar? Anything else I need to know, Manoban?”

“Now why would I share all my secrets with you, Miss Kim,” the photographer smirks, “Now pipe down and let me show you why I’d kick your butt if Rosie and I made it to Korea with you and your Idol friends.”

I raise my hands in peace and wait for her to continue. She looks down at the fingerboard and positions her fingers at the right chords. A second passes and she starts playing. It takes me a moment to make out the song but when she starts singing with the acoustic guitar I recognize the song.

_ **I book myself tables** _  
_ **At all the best restaurants, then eat alone** _  
_ **I buy myself fast cars** _  
_ **Just so I can drive them real fuckin' slow** _  
_ **I like my own company** _  
_ **Company, I don't need it** _  
_ **I'm not always cold** _  
_ **I'm just good on my own, so good on my own** _

_ **I've always been told, one day, I'll find** _  
_ **Somebody who changes my mind** _  
_ **If they come along, I won't think twice** _

Her voice is sweet like honey yet the soft rasp undertone is harsh and sounds very urban and modern. She bobs her head with the song and plays the instrument in her hands with ease. I stare in awe as she half-dances along, not tripping over the multitude of wires all over the floor. I glance around and see that the whole room’s occupants are looking over at Lisa. The woman on her part is too busy with her performance that she doesn’t’ see nor feel the people staring at her. 

_ **I make myself up** _  
_ **Just to dance in the mirror when I'm at home** _  
_ **I pose and take pictures** _  
_ **Then send them to people that I don't know** _  
_ **I like getting compliments** _  
_ **Compliments how I'm feeling, oh** _  
_ **I'm not always selfish** _  
_ **Just bad at romance, it's not in my bones** _

It’s at that moment that I’m stuck with the realization that Lisa wasn’t playing around before. She’s talented. So talented. Her presence is strong yet soft and able to connect with the song. The air around her swirls with electricity commanding every eye on her and every ear turned to listen. Her swaggery smirk is magnetic and makes my heart rush forward like a racing horse in full sprint. It’s a simple performance yet feels like a full-on dome concert, the only thing missing was the adoring fans.

My heart then switches from amazement to deep sadness. Sadness for a girl that was robbed of her dream. Sadness for the possibilities that she had but was taken from her. If the talent she had now was nurtured when she was younger, she wouldn’t have survived in Korea’s entertainment industry. She would have blossomed and shined brighter then all the trainees I had seen in my time. She would have forced the Korean entertainment industry onto thair knees to acknowledge that she was on a level all on her own. That a non-Korean girl could hold her own among their stars and even go beyond them. 

My heart grows even heavier at the realization that if Rosie was just as good, and watching Lisa it’s safe to assume she was, the two would have been placed in a group together. Two fully Westernized members would have multiple offers thrown at them, they would be a walking bank to anyone with eyes. Add to the mix that both girls spoke fluent Korean and English, they would be a beacon for oversea artists as well. They would have been at the same level as Jisoo and I or even...

My mind transports me to my final days as a trainee. Jisoo and I had ended up in a group of twelve girls. All of us had been asked, separately of course, what our desires were. Truth be told, Jisoo and I wanted to be in a group but seeing that we didn’t mix well with the music types that the record labels were producing. It forced us to each go our own way and make the music we wanted. It took longer then if we were handed the music we would sing, like in a group, but we each burst onto the scene with the satisfaction of our work. 

_ **I've always been told, one day, I'll find** _  
_ **Somebody who changes my mind** _  
_ **If they come along, I won't think twice** _

_ **'Cause I already got a good thing with me** _  
_ **Yeah, I already got everything I need** _  
_ **The best things in life are already mine** _  
_ **Don't tell me that you got a good thing for me** _  
_ **'Cause I already got a good thing with me** _  
_ **Yeah, I already done everything I dream** _  
_ **I'm good by myself, don't need no one else** _  
_ **Don't tell me that you got a good thing for me** _  
_ **'Cause I already got a good thing** _

The music fades into nothingness and I’m too struck form my earlier realization that I don’t hear the claps form the crew around us. Lisa’s confident look changes to a bashfull one and the whiplash of attitude sends me into a deeper sadness for the woman.

_Robbed. She was robbed._

“So, what’d ya think,” she drawls with her accented English, “Not just blowing smoke, am I right? Jennie? Are you okay?”

A warm tear falls down my cheek and I quickly raise my hand to clean it off. I look down at my heels and try to hold back my emotions. Confusing feelings filled me like air in a balloon ready to burst. A few more tears leave me and I clean them off my face with a tissue from the table. I swallow harshly and try to process what I’m feeling but the overstimulation of the harsh lights and loud crew don’t help me. I finally decide to deal with this later so I take a second before speaking.

“Jennie?”

“Sorry,” I mumble through poorly covered tears, “You were great, Lisa. Amazing, actually.”

“Then why are you crying,” the blonde frows, “What’s wrong?”

I bite my lip and change a glance up at the woman. She’s frowning again, worriedly this time, and staring at me intently. Her lankly frame is ram-rod straight, ready to take care of what concerns I have. The guitar hangs loosely around her frame and looks comfortable on her person. The sight tugs harder at my heart. I shake my head and let go of a deep breath.

“How are you okay with it,” I blurt out, “You’re amazing! You could have been big! How are you okay with being pulled away from all that?”

Lisa seems to understand what’s happening, thank god at least one us does, and shakes her head with a soft look to me.

“I just give thanks that I’m alive, Jennie,” she frowns, “Sure, an opportunity was taken from me. Sure, I could have been big and maybe Rosie and I would have ended up together there too. But, I’ve done so much with what I was given, with the extra time I was blessed with. I’m happy, as much as I can be, but that’s life. No one is truly happy. There’s always something that’s out of reach. It’s up to us to find it and deal with it.”

“What’s missing then,” I seem to ask myself instead of her, “What’s missing in the picture?”

She mulls on it for a moment then smiles sadly, “Someone to share it with, I guess. Isn’t that what most people say?”

I stare at Lisa. She looks young but her thoughts are old and wise. She reminds me of Jisoo in that way: young and childlike in spirit but wise and all-knowing.

“I guess,” I lamely say.

The air around us calms and the woman in front of me stares at me. Her searching eyes come up rewarded and she turns around to put the guitar back in its place. She walks back to me and picks up the camera she had been using before.

“Five minutes,” Lisa shouts then turns to me, “Five minutes, okay?”

I nod to her and the woman reaches over the table. She squeezes my shoulder as if to comfort me, something I should have been doing instead, and walks towards her assistant. I watch her and allow the sudden appearance of mak up crew members to work on me. I’m too busy trying to understand what just happened.

_What is going on with me?_


	5. "Behind the Camera"

The shoot went on for the rest of the morning. Jennie had begun to distance herself from me and by the time lunch break approached, I began to worry about her state. She seemed skittish and guarded, only giving me half-assed poses that compared nothing to yesterday’s impromptu shoot. I couldn’t do anything much besides do small jokes or facial expressions at her to get her to loosen up but it didn’t help one bit. By the end of the morning, I became frustrated that the quality of the shoot had majorly worsened as time progressed. I stand suddenly with a large frown on my face and pull out the drive attached to my camera. With a growl, I throw it onto the marble floor and turn my back to the pop star in front of me. From my peripheral I see Tommy pick up the drive reluctantly while glancing over at me.

“Scene,” I shout with a dark tone, “We’re done! Pick things up!”

“What,” Jennie looks around then turns back to me from behind the drum kit, “Why? I thought we had a few hours left after lunch?”

“This isn’t working,” I shake my head and turn to the workers around me, “Pick things up then go to lunch. When your thirty is up, start to set up tomorrow's areas! I want them _exactly_ how I planned them!”

“Wait,” the woman yells at me, “Why? What the hell is happening?”

I turn around and watch as the woman stomps to me with a deep frown on her beautiful face. I can’t help but look over her state of dress, a layered black dress with a white collar that matched her hair pinned back half-ponytail and her simple make-up, as she stops in front of me. She raises a challenging eyebrow and glares at me in frustration. Her kitten-like anger makes me want to pinch her cheeks but knowing full well I could get a slap on the face or a call from an angry lawyer stops me from doing so.

“Lisa,” she says again with a stone-cold tone, “Why did we stop?”

I look at her seriously then answer honestly, “You’re stiff. It’s not looking natural and that’s not the type of pictures I want from you. Your mind is somewhere else and I can’t work with you if you’re not here with me. You’re not responding well with my direction and the only thing I can come up with is that you’re tired. Go rest. Do yoga or something. Come back tomorrow ready to work. A clean slate.” 

I take my leave, turning in one swift motion, and walk towards my set up area to look over the shots for any usable shots. I hear an angry squeal and am forced to look over my shoulder. The pop star’s face is red and her beautiful features are formed into the angriest expression I have ever been directed at. Her dark eyes turn into black holes filled with anger and offense. A weird shiver goes down my back and I’m suddenly reminded of how men would describe angry women ten times sexy to them.

“What do you mean I’m stiff,” she huffs once she’s near me, “I’m an expert at this! I did not train six years and be working professionally for almost four to-”

“Look like I’ll shoot you in the head if you don’t smile at the camera,” I deadpan.

Jennie’s face slackens in an even more offended look. We stay there standing, surrounded by non-moving staff members when it hits me what Jennie actually needs.

“How old are you,” I ask with narrowed eyes.

She scoffs, angry again, “A year older than you. Why does-”

“You act like a thirty-year-old,” I cut her off.

The whole room becomes even more silent if that’s even possible, and her management team zooms in with heated glares on my back. Jennie stares at me with an even deeper angry blush then she growls out in Korean while stepping into my space.

_“Excuse me?”_

_“She’s going with me on a trip,”_ I say in Korean, turning to he manager with a serious look and ignoring the angry kitten near me, _“If you disapprove, I will drop out of this project and leave you to fend for yourselves.”_

_“You-you can’t do that,”_ the suited man from yesterday stutters from both anger and surprise, _“You’re on a contract with us!”_

_“That’s incorrect,”_ I raise my chin in a challenge, _“I’m not on any contract. I was hired by my agent to YG, no on else. If you have a problem with that, I can give you his number. However, if you chose this option you will go past the work date that we have planned and will have to reschedule or find a replacement. At worst, you will have to push back your schedule.”_

_“Where are you taking her,”_ a woman asks as she steps forward.

_“City Walk,”_ I answer with a smirk at their confusion, _“I need more time with her and she needs to relax. This whole schedule is making her anxious. I can see it in each frame. I’m treating her to food and some time out in the sun.”_

_“We can't just-”_

“Done.”

The smooth feminine voice makes me turn back to the short woman. She looks slightly relived but is giving her managing staff leveled looks. The group looks among themselves but nod in acceptance then begin working on a way to get into contact with the security and police that work around the shopping district. I turn to Jennie and nod to her.

“Get ready then meet me at my station,” I tell her, “I’m driving and they’re following.”

Leaving Jennie with a dumbfounded look, I walk to my area to get everything cleaned up for the next day. I wait for around half an hour for the small woman to get ready into casual clothes before I become annoyed at her tardiness. With a raised brow I turn to Tommy.

“Go to my car and put my camera bags in the trunk along with my backpack,” I tell him handing him my car keys, “You’re in charge of the set up in the next room and the pool. Understand?”

_“Sure boss,”_ he answers in Spanish, _“No problem.”_

I scoff and roll my eyes, “Obviously! She’s in her dressing room taking forever!”

Tommy plays out a laugh as a cough then quickly takes my Porshe’s keys to do as I say. I watch as he walks away then count backward to thirty to gain some patience. Jennie’s conversation with me had obviously thrown her off for whatever reason but that doesn’t mean I have to let it affect me as well. With a long exhale, I shake myself then walk towards the starlet’s ‘trailer’ with caution.

My mind decides to replay the conversation from before to find anything that could have triggered the attitude with the woman but I come up empty-handed. I sum up that the only reason that she became like this is the knowledge of knowing about my past and having second-hand guilt about it. I shake my head and softly scold the woman under my breath for feeling that way. I’m almost at the room I have designated for Make-Up and Dress when I hear a loud yell filled with anger and loathing.

_“WHO DOES SHE THINK SHE IS!?”_

I smirk to myself and try to hold back a laugh as the angry diva’s yell reaches my ears clearly.

“WHY THE HELL ARE YOU LAUGHING AT ME CHU?! SHE’S A MANIAC! I WAS DOING MY JOB AND SHE HAS THE GALL TO SUGGEST I’M NOT! FU-”

“Kock-knock,” I call out when I enter the room.

A marathon of running stylist zoom out of the room, trying desperately to escape and not touch me on their escape out. I lean back to see their back as they run out of the hallway and back to the main area. I bite my lip and turn back inside the room. The girl, now dressed in a white Supreme shirt, jeans and white Adidas sneakers, glares at me with her red phone tucked between her squishy cheek and shoulder.

“Ready,” I smile brightly at her.

“Go to hell,” she growls.

“Wow,” I say with mock surprise, “That’s not very lady-like now, is it? What would old man JYP say if he heard you?”

“To tell you to fuck off,” she growls again this time with venom in her tone.

I hold a hand up to my heart and pout, “Now, now. That’s no way to thank your savior.”

“MY WHAT NOW?”

I roll my eyes and fully enter the room, “You’re obviously pissed but how about you clear your mind and hear me out?”

She stares at me, fully annoyed but curious, then nods slowly but raises a hand to make me wait, _“She’s here Chu- No why would I- Fine! Whatever! Bye!”_

The woman swipes angrily over the screen then forces the phone into a small black back-pack style bag. I stay quiet until she turns to me and poses with her chin tilted high and stare hot as red coals. I take this as a ‘continue’ so I do.

“You’ve obviously been stressed from everything. You haven’t taken any time to rest since early last year,” I explain, “And me telling you about my past forced you to relive your own past along with triggering you. I don’t want you on set if you feel forced, my work doesn’t shine that way and neither do you. So, I’m taking you out for some lunch and...maybe a few rides at Universal? It’s my treat so don’t worry about it.”

“What about the shoot,” she says measurably, suspicious about my explanation.

“I’m taking my cameras to take pictures at some nice places around there,” I smile at her as an olive branch, “We can do both. So? Truce?”

The girl looks at me for a few seconds then begrudgingly sighs, “Okay. Fine.”

“Great,” I clap with a grin, “Let’s go! Follow me!”

I turn away and begin my journey to my car, smiling to myself when I hear small feet walk quickly to catch up to me. I stop mid-step and snicker when she runs into me in the middle of the hallway. She mutters something under her breath but I just keep walking. Tommy passes by me on my way out of the mansion, Jennie’s team can be seen outside the windows waiting for us.

_“All done boss,”_ he tells me in his native language, _“I’ll take care of everything, don’t worry.”_

_“I won’t,”_ I answer in Spanish, _“See you tomorrow!”_

The lanky young man smiles to both of us then walks briskly back inside the mansion to take care of his duties. I look over at the quiet diva and try to hold back a laugh. Her usually peaceful, and thought to be passive and uninterested to the untrained eye, had turned shocked. Her eyes were wide and her slight jaw was unhinged, they both paired perfectly with her goddess-like eyebrows that neared her hairline in how high they jumped. It looked to me that my sudden use of a third language created the same impact as someone hitting her in the back of the head with a bat.

“W-what,” she stuttered, “Did you just?”

I nod with a smile and move to hold her hand. Her head snaps down to see our hands together then whips up to me. A thrill I had could only compare to a well-loved photo runs up my nerve ending, making my heart sing, as the gorgeous K-Pop star blushes a beautiful shade of pink. A part of me thinks its from shyness at my sudden touch but the deepest part of me hopes it’s from causing her to swoon just a little at my actions. One can only hope, of course.

“Korean, English, Thai,” she slowly counts, “And now Spanish? How many languages do you speak, Lisa?”

Her scrunched up eyebrows make me smirk, she looks really adorable with that lost look and small pout, and I just shake my head playfully at her.

“Nuh-uh,” I deflect, “Not telling. Maybe stick around and find out?”

Soft lips open to say something back but I pull the shorter girl with me as I walk further out to my car. I hear a little ‘huff’ but nothing else. The defeated and annoyed action makes my lips twitch into a smirk. The walk to my car is short, I parked as closest to the large house as I could, so we reached the red car very quickly. I hear Jennie gasp upon seeing it. 

“That’s your car,” she gapes.

“One of them,” I nod to her, “I use her the most, besides my bike, and I have a Jeep for when I want to go off-road.”

“You have a motorcycle,” Jennie’s eye widen again, “Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Mopeds are used a lot in places like Thailand, Vietnam, Brazil, urban places in Egypt and some cities around Europe too. I got used to riding them when I was on National,” I shrug, “The only drag about the whole thing was that they were too slow, so I would rent motorcycles instead. I came to like them more because the wind would cool me off just right and it was thrilling to dash right past the larger vehicles. They’re really fun and free, like riding a horse.”

At the topic of horses, Jennie’s eyes light up with happiness and understanding.

“Ridden horse before,” I raise a brow.

“Oh, yes! The boarding school I was in had a Jockey team, a Jumping team, and a Polo team. I always chose horse riding classes for our physical education courses. They were really fun to do. ” the woman’s smile slackens into a sad one then, “I haven’t been on one in a long time…”

I nod in empathy then glance over my shoulder to the uniformly dressed me of her management team.

“I could,” I pause, “I could take you out on a ride?”

“On a motorcycle,” she squeaks.

“No,” I chuckle, “I meant on a horseback ride. I have this friend who owns a winery up north. She and her wife have horses they ride on their property since it’s so large. I’m sure they would really like the company and I haven’t been to visit in some time.”

The starlet looks at me in surprise, most likely from saying I’m friends with a gay couple, then nods like a bobble doll with excitement.

“Yes,” she half-shouts with a large smile, “I’d love to!”

I return her sunny smile with one of my own. We stay there for a second until I remember what I’m supposed to be doing right now. I cough awkwardly then nod toward my car. She bites her lip and nods back. We take the last strides to my car and I open the door for her to sit at the passenger seat. She softly ‘thanks’ me before I turn as casually as I can and shout to her team to follow me. They nod and agree then I’m heading to my own seat.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I’ve heard from many people that my side profile was good, that in any angel I looked gorgeous and should just stick to modeling. I’m not that big-headed but I can honestly say that I don’t feel bad about any part of my appearance, may just my size but being called pocket-sized isn’t that annoying. I never really understood the hoopla of it all but look at the corner of my eye towards Lisa, I could finally now understand what my fans meant by ‘a walking angel among the common folk.’ 

Lisa’s stare forward was dark and focused, very similar to the one she uses when working on her craft. Her poise is ramrod straight but not in the ‘almost breaking a back’ kind of way. No, it was just like every other way she is: confident, filled with swag, and in complete command. My mind’s eye conjured up a picture of her as a soldier for some reason. She would be able to thrive in an environment like that if she had to but knowing her a little more now, she dominates in a free atmosphere where she could make her own decisions. Lisa was the type of woman to carve a space for herself and not bow down to have it made for her.

“So,” she talks softly to me, “Do you want some sunshine?”

I furrow my brows, I’ve seem to be doing this a lot around Lisa, “Sunshine? I thought you said we’re going to City Walk?”

She snickers and leans over at the center consul. A little button with a half triangle is pushed and a whirl of electrical noise surrounds us. The soft noise ‘hums’ and slowly the top of the car folds itself and into the back of the car’s hidden space. I gape at the photographer while she simply smiles with a satisfied smile. The car reverses smoothly out of the parking space then dashes forward out of the property with a happy ‘hum’ from the little car.

“There’s a small bag under your seat,” she tells me, “Get it.”

With confusion, I move my right hand between my knees and grab the small bundle she said. The small bundle is a velvet black bag. Whatever is inside causes a square shape so I turn to Lisa for further instruction. She smiles and tilts her head as if to say ‘go on ahead’ and I pull the rectangular object out of the bag. A small black camera that looks to be older then the ones she usually has is in my hand. I inspect it and see that the flash unfolds from the top and that with it being fully out, the shape and size is that of a packet of butter sticks. 

“That’s for you,” she explains, “I want you to take as many pictures as you want. You’re going to be here for some time and I want you to have memories. I was going to give it to you later but, two birds one stone right?”

I stare at the camera, thoughts flowing all around me then glance up at the woman next to me. I can’t pinpoint the feeling that I’m going through but the one I can feel the most is: relief. Relief that someone outside my staff has a little fondness towards me and cares about my feelings. Lisa has created this typhoon of emotions in me that I can’t take apart just yet. The onslaught is just too great and Jisoo isn’t around to help navigate the waters like she always has. 

“Thank you,” I say softly but with strong emotion, “I’ve always wanted to try photography but…”

“Why haven’t you,” she frowns and glances at me.

“I just,” with a shrug I sigh, “I never got encouraged. I mean I’ve tried a lot of things but I guess I felt I never had time for it.”

She scoffs and rolls her eyes, “You take pictures for your social media, right? Its the same except you learn how to use your equipment through trial and error, not through the screen on it.”

“You think I can do it,” I look at her with hope, “I mean it’s not that easy to learn, right?”

“Trial and error,” Lisa chuckles, “As long as you try, you’re learning.”

My gaze turns back to the camera and I allow myself to smile at her simple answers. I let out a small laugh then nod and look back at the photographer.

“Okay, let’s hope I don’t put my finger in front of the lense.”

Lisa laughs out loudly, “On one shoot, I forgot to take the lens cap off and didn’t notice until the end of that roll.”

I burst out laughing at the image of the woman looking sheepish at not capturing any pictures. Lisa joins in for a bit then continues to tell me about funny things that would happen to her on shoots. There were the first years of taking pictures for local papers, some pictures were oversaturated or not focused but she had the most pride for them as they were taken with the first camera she received. She told me about how proud she was that her picture of Miss Australia was used for the national paper one year and the next year she was added to the ‘press’ group to take exclusive shots.

Lisa spoke of months surrounded by frozen Arctic land and having her fingers turning blue from the cold exposure. Tales of hot jungle trips and extinct poison frogs blended into stories of danger during terrorist invaded lands of Saudi Arabia. It pulled at my heart at the number of things she experienced. feel jealous that she has done so much at the same time I had done my career but at knowing what happened to her, the jealousy turns into relief that she was telling the truth to me.

“It must have been hard dating,” I speak up after a Lisa tells me about a trip to Spain, “Constantly moving for your job must have made it hard.”

Lisa frown then sighs, “I assume it would be.”

“What,” I frown at her, “You assume?”

“I never went past a second date,” she shrugs, “I don’t know if I should blame it on my job or on my character. Some of my friends have been married for a long time yet, here I am not being able to get called back.”

I don’t say a thing for a minute, trying to think how to respond then I remember my own situation. I had to sign a contract with JYP at the beginning of my career. I wouldn’t be able to date until after debut and even then I had to be watched over until my boss approved of coming out to the public. I had strict rules on who I could contact and what I could say to them. Some years I wasn’t even allowed to see my parents outside of my dorm. It was a hard life but now that I was a senior in my label, I could do mostly what I wanted, the training wheels were off and I could decide upon myself what was best.

“I get that,” I say quietly, “I dated this guy, he’s in a famous group back in Korea, for some time. He was kind to me and we worked well but our schedules were crazy. On top of that, our fans made it impossible once we were found out.”

“Shouldn’t fans be happy that you’re happy,” she says naively, “I mean if they support you they should support you on everything, right?”

I laugh, “Sorry for laughing, but no. Not all of them. You see we have to not be public in order to create an image for them to feel like we only revolve around them-”

“Eww,” she scrunches her nose, “That sounds gross. Like a pimp or something. Hell, even a gang!”

I laugh again, “Well you’re not that far off.”

Lisa shakes her head and says something in a different language. I just keep look out the window and enjoy the scenic view she decided to take me on. The large skyscrapers dotted the city along with high rise apartments and townhouses. The pavement was left to be desired but I blame it mostly on the constant traffic, it could be almost impossible to do repairs when the constant traveler needed to use them. The humidity from this morning had settle and the warm sun felt nice against my skin. I close my eyes allow myself to enjoy the heat on me and the wind blow through my hair. 

The car slows down significantly and I open my eyes. Lisa drives off into an exit and we pass signage of the famous park as we keep going. A large passage has to be gone through until we reach a fork in the road. Lisa takes the left into the ‘VIP’ parking area and approaches the men standing near the entrance to the special garage. 

“Hello,” the dark man says once Lisa has pulled up, “How-”

“All day,” my photographer tells him with a charming smile, “This car and the two behind us. If you could please keep us together?”

The man nods and tells her the amount for the spaces. Lisa takes out a thin metal card from her wallet and hands it to him. A few minutes later we’re parked the closest to the outlet mall’s entrance that we can get. The car’s owner quickly jumps out of the car and runs to my side to help me out. She extends a hand that is all long thin fingers and smiles charmingly at me.

“Welcome, to City Walk,” Lisa says with a cheesy voice, “LA’s favorite place to play.”

I smile hesitantly but take the offered hand. She grunts playfully and positions my hand on her elbow like a gentleman leading a lady though a garden maze. 

“I hope you like donuts,” she calls out to my group as they scramble to follow us, “I’ve been craving a Voodoo Doll _all_ weekend!”


	6. "Exposure"

“Come on Jennie!”

I look up from my ice cream to the energetic photographer as she points to the group huddling together near a small stage with two oddly shaped rocks that look like a puzzle. Lisa grins at me and I feel a small blush on my cheeks appear as she tugs on my hand to walk along with her. The young woman turns away but continues to pull me by my hand, my eyes look over her slim back and settle on the worn leather camera bag she has over her shoulder. I look around my surroundings of the ‘street’ and see that the closer we get to the stage the more people begin to huddle at the area. I share a confused look over my shoulder to my management team and they shrug with confusion as well.

“Right here is good enough,” Lisa nods and points to an area closest to the stage, “Let’s sit. It’s almost time.”

“Time for what,” I ask as I take my seat next to her on the ground.

Lisa gasps, “You don’t know?”

“Don’t know what,” I frown, “What are you-”

**“Ladies and gentlemen! I am here to share great news-”**

“You’ve seen the movies at least, yeah,” Lisa whispers to me, “It’s one of the performances they do for the ‘muggle guests.’”

I nod with wide eyes as four young ladies dressed in blue uniforms dance their way onto the stage. Lisa grins smugly and takes my ice cream to replace it with the camera I had yet to use. I glance in confusion and she just nods towards the woman with a cheeky grin. I can’t help but smile and do as she says. My clumsy fingers snap a few pictures of the women and then the group of young men that show up after them. 

“Don’t worry about the film,” Lisa whispers to me, “I’ve got more in my bag. Go ahead and snap away.”

The small performance lasts less than ten minutes and I’m sure I captured only five shots through the whole thing but I couldn’t help but just stare through the whole thing. After the dancers had left, Lisa helped me up and directed us to the wand shop nearby. My eyes couldn’t stay in once place at all as we walked to the shop. She taps me on the shoulder to get my attention and I blush at being caught staring frantically around me.

“Take a picture,” Lisa giggled next to me, “I hear they last longer.”

I scoff at her joke but pull up the camera to snap panoramic shots of the street. I feel her watching me as we walk but pay it no mind. She seemed to have enjoyed watching me take things in since arriving, so much so she hadn’t taken out her camera at all. We enter the shop easily enough, not bothering to wait for the ‘show’ and end up surrounded by floor to ceiling shelves filled with thin boxes of many colors. My team moves about, picking their things or just looking around, while Lisa pulls me to a corner where no one would bother us.

“So Miss Kim,” my guide turns to me with a patient look in her eyes, “Want to do the quiz or do you want a specific one?”

I think for a second then look at her, “Do you have one?”

She nods happily, “I have a lot, actually. Spent half a paycheck when I first got here!”

With a brow raised I ask, “What did you buy?”

Lisa bites her lip and looks down at her toes like a scolded child, “Five wands, three Butterbeers, two turkey legs and a ton of candy….”

I laugh again in shock, “How did you eat all that?!”

“Well,” Lisa blushes, “Rosie might have helped with that second turkey leg…”

Another laugh escapes me, “Okay. Well forget that, how did you pick your first wand?”

Lisa looks around, “It is a lot, isn’t it?”

I nod and look around again. The room was painted in dark browns except for the high ceiling. Dark wood shelves held many wand boxes, some with names of characters underneath and with different ink colors. The sound of excited buyers lingers in the room and so does the energy they vibrate with.

“What house do you like,” the woman next to me asks, “I always got Gryffindor and Rosie always got Hufflepuff.”

I tap my chin in thought then answer with all seriousness, “Slytherin.”

“Slytherin,” Lisa gawks then her face scrunches up only to become unimpressed, “Should have known…”

“What’s that supposed to mean,” I narrow my eyes at her.

“Nothing,” She mumbles, “Forget I said anything. Let’s just get you Ginny’s wand, it’s the easiest to work with.”

“How do you know that,” I ask her while following her to the shelves.

“A little tip I heard from the wizards here,” she smirks and pulls out a maroon box and hands it to me then takes out a mustard yellow box from the shelf above, “Here, I’ll get Harry’s and we can go around and do the ‘spells’ until the night show.”

“There’s a light show?”

Lisa nods, “The best in all of California.”

I raise a brow, “I thought Disney’s was the best?”

She shakes her head and leads us to the line to check out, “That’s what most people believe. To me, the best park is this one. There’s more to do and its less kid stuff here. It’s also a bonus that I know a lot of the working staff here.”

“You’ve worked here,” I stare in shock at here, “Like not at the park?”

“Yup,” she smiles, “I’ve been on set before and also taken some stills for some shows. I like how they do both here: have fun and work. It’s like walking into the tv and just mingling for a while.”

“So you don’t like princesses and fairytale that much,” I gather from her sour look at the mention of the other park.

Lisa shrugs, “I did when I was young. I guess when the accident happened some of my pixie dust left me. Here you work for your dream, it’s not handed to you. It’s...more down to earth and realistic?”  
“I understand. Sometimes dreams don’t fall into your lap, they have to be worked for,” I nod.

My new friend hums in agreement.

Lisa truly did know the park inside and out. After a few hours of visiting the magical themed area, she took us down to the lower floor to explore the areas there. After a race against a dinosaur and a chase through ancient tombs, the photographer’s friends caught up with her and invited our whole group on a backstage trip. We looked through sets of game shows and singing competitions. I met a few starlets that were mingling in ‘hideouts’ through the stage’s set up. I was even shocked that a few younger celebrities knew who I was and were excited about my projects. 

Another thing that happened was that I went through two rolls of film in addition to the one already in my camera. Lisa had teased me light-heartedly after I had used up the first, but after being in the backstage filming areas she would gently take the camera from my hands to change the roll. It seemed that she was right about just doing things. With each snap that I would take, I started to make out what lighting was best in each space and what angle would look the best. I wasn’t the only one getting a lesson and enjoying myself either. 

Lisa had coursed my team to take pictures of me at work and even some for themselves to send to their families. It had been a while that I had heard my bodyguards laugh earnestly or grin widely down at their phones after sending a message. The photographer was an easy company to keep, she would joke and smile and start conversations that somehow flowed like a well-written script. My team became as enamored with her as I did throughout the day. 

It was starting to get dark when one of the workers helped us get back to Hogsmeade. Lisa then took us to eat at the restaurant there, claiming that she would pay for our whole meal only to be shot down by almost everyone in attendance. It was cute to see her look on bashfully as the waiter split the bill into parts so she could pay for mine and her meals to appease her. We exited the place only to find the whole street beginning to flood with people.

“I told you it’s the best,” Lisa smirks at me, “Don’t worry, I’ve got the best seat in the house.”

The lanky woman leads us then to a few young men dressed in school robes near the rollercoaster. They grinned upon seeing her and waved to us. Another young man takes out a flashlight and uses it to shine in the direction of the rollercoaster attendants. 

“Right this way Miss Manoban,” the taller of the two waved off.

“Thanks, Dylan,” she smiles to him, “I owe you one.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Dylan shakes his head, “Just buy us a pop next time?”

Lisa nods then turns to us and speaks in Korean, **“We’re watching from the coaster’s hill. It’ll be a better view. Just follow the VIP path up.”**

After a few mummers, the whole group does as she says and walks up the hill. With each step I feel the cold breeze hit me, making me shiver. The woman next to me suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me back to the shops. My feet almost fail me as she turns us quickly around so fast that my head feels like its spinning.

“Let’s get you something more appropriate for the cold, Miss Kim,” she winked down at me, **“We’ll be right back!”**

I find myself pulled behind Lisa before anyone can say anything in the negative. The crowd had grown significantly since our trek up the hill and I was smushed against Lisa’s back the moment we stepped into the river of flowing people. A wild blush burns my cheeks as my front is forced to be flat against her back. Lisa stands taller and moves stiffly. I bite my lip but hold on tight to the back of her shirt, more scared of getting separated than the little space between us. My face somehow ends up hiding between her shoulder blades to hide from the claustrophobia flued anxiety bubbling up inside me. I breathe deeply in and out, catching the sweet scent of vanilla and sunshine that surrounds Lisa. Her smell is warm and soft allowing me to calm down just enough to hear her speak to me.

“A-are you okay,” she asks me with a hint of strain in her voice, “We’re almost the-re.”

“I-I’m okay,” I shake my head, “Just please don’t let go.”

Her next words unexpectedly make me blush: “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

The minutes it takes us to walk to the shop seem to never end and my heart pulls tightly at being so close to her. Lisa abruptly stops and pulls me forward to be in front of her. I gasp and turn around quickly to hide my face and line of vision from the over stimulus. My head ends up in the space under Lisa’s chin, directly against her neck and at the source of the pleasant scent. Lisa shivers but when I try to pull away, I feel her run her hand down my back as she walks me backward. 

I can hear her speak softly to me as we continue to walk but I can’t make out any words, whether it is from the stimulus of the people around us or from herself. It seems she understands so she lowers her head just a bit to sing softly to me. I shiver as her breath tickles my ear directly and the words she’s singing drowns out the sounds around me, forcing me to hear her.

_ **I break a dollar at the bar** _   
_ **And make the jukebox sing** _   
_ **So tell Rosie what you want** _   
_ **The first round's on me** _   
_ **We're gonna light up these streets baby** _   
_ **Shake the dust off all your dreams baby** _   
_ **We're gonna lose a little sleep baby** _   
_ **On these American nights** _

We continue to walk for a short while and Lisa keeps singing to me until she stops suddenly. I hiccup when we do, surprising me at the force, and she pats my head softly. I bury myself more against her then I both feel and hear her shudder before speaking to me calmly.

“It’s okay, I’ve got you, Jennie,” she whispers to me, “We’re here already. I’m going to open the door and we are gonna go inside, okay?”

I nod, “Okay.”

True to her word, we walk into a quiet room and light envelops us. I don’t dare move though until I feel ready to. Lisa doesn’t’ comment, thank god, and just hugs me. A few minutes pass and I slowly feel more like myself. With each breath that I let go of, the more I realize how close we are. Suddenly, I feel a soft touch at the top of my head.

_Did she…_

“I’m sorry I made you go through that,” She mumbles against the crown of my head, affirming my suspicions, “I should have thought it through.”

“It’s okay Lisa,” I tell her while pulling away to look up at her, “You helped me through it.”

“Did I,” she frowns.

Her brown eyes look pale in sadness so I nod and give her a small smile, “Yeah.”

She stares down at her shoes then looks back to me. Her eyes become solid and determined. Before I can comment, she pulls me by our connected hands towards the back of the shop. We reach a large wall filled with different clothes and accessories. Lisa lets go, leaving my hand to feel strangely cold and empty, to go through the rack of black robes. She stops then pulls out a set and hands them to me before turning to the rack filled with ties. I frown and look at the robes, then look up at her when she approaches slowly.

“Here,” Lisa says timidly to me when she has the coordinating ties and sweaters, “I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable, Jennie. I know it won’t help much but I want to get this for you as an apology.”

The eager-to-please look on her face is too cute so I nod and let her take the clothes in my hands. I trail after her as she reaches the cashier. My eyes stay focused on her during the whole exchange. My stomach twitches when she looks over her shoulder to smiles at me. Another wildfire blush races over my face and I look away to avoid another.

_What the hell is going on? Having a panic attack one second and the next you’re blushing like a pre-teen in class?_

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jennie stays quiet for the rest of the night. It rubs me the wrong way but I suppose its mostly my fault. If I had thought a little more about her sensitive senses, then she would have stayed warm and kind as she had during our walk around the park. The whole walk to the clothing store replayed in my mind as I dropped her off at her hotel and made my way home. It made me both angry at myself for my carelessness but also proud that I had kept Jennie safe during it. I could still feel Jennie’s small body against both my front and back as I laid on my bed waiting for sleep to come to me. 

I continue to stare at my ceiling as I had been since laying down. My brain is no help nor does my nerves as they work together to remind me of the way my hair stood on end at having Jennie against my neck. I lick my lips as dirty thoughts start poking through the memories, telling me what I _should_ have done. I shake my head to rid myself of those thoughts whilst scolding myself too. My hands twitch for me to do something to occupy my running mind. I sigh and sit up, throwing my sheets off me.

“You’re so stupid,” I groan and pull at my hair, “Why would you do any of that? She was having a panic attack and all you could think of was...”

I shake my head in anger at myself with my head still in my hands. Deciding that I won’t be able to sleep, I put on my wire-framed glasses then get up. The house is quiet as I walk through it to reach my office. The room is blasted with light when I flip the switch. I squint until my eyes adjust. With a sigh, I sit at my chair and stare at my desk. My eyes look over the piles of prints and boxes of materials. I look over my room until a thick leather case comes into focus of my eyesight. The case is a dark brown and has a small sunflower stitched at the flap. 

My hands twitch again. 

“I guess..”

My chair is pushed against the metal filing cabinets behind me as I stand. I walk to the table across from my desk to grab the camera still in its case. I bite my lip and pull out the camera. My head tilts as I stare down at it. I look over it and see that the film is still there. In a practiced motion, I flip open the camera and pull out the roll. I set everything as it was and take the film with me to the bathroom I use as a darkroom. The room is bathed in red light as I move about to developing the film from this past weekend. 

I turn on the radio I have in the room and work diligently. With each picture slowly appearing on plastic, a little bit of my heart settles from the earlier torment I was feeling. Time passes by around me and the smell of chemicals feels like home while I work. The line of pictures hanging to dry multiplies with each gurgle of liquid I leave them in. I’m at the final pictures and like a heavy stone falling into a pond, I feel heavy and displaced when I look at the pictures. 

Three pictures stare at me with accusation and glaring mirth in front of me. I can’t help but move my fingers above the clearest of them. Jennie is in mid-laugh with her chubby cheeks on display and her eyes squinting like a cartoon character. Her hand is over her heart as one hand holds onto the black SUV’s door while the other holds onto the bar above. My heart twitches at the happiness she gives off. The frown I had been wearing since beginning to work moves to form a small smile. 

“So cute,” I whisper, “How are you so cute? How are you so cute and so sexy at the same _time?”_

My mouth becomes dry when I remember the cameras I have brought today. As if under a spell, I quickly pin the pictures of Jennie on a separate line then run to my living room. My work camera taunts me on my coffee table but I don’t have time to scold it as I move to take out the film roll it has. I pull it out and I’m in my darkroom soon enough after that. The music I’m greeted to when I reach the room was definitely not helping my state of panic and euphoria.

_ **Nine in the morning** _   
_ **The man drops his kids off at school** _   
_ **And he's thinking of you** _   
_ **Like all of us do** _   
_ **Sends his assistant for coffee in the afternoon** _   
_ **Around 1:32** _   
_ **Like he knows what to do** _

It feels like torture as each photo is exposed to me. I feel my heart wither in my chest in a way I had never felt before. Jennie’s expressions change from photo to photo. There are ones where she smiles brightly at me and others where she looks sultry and womanly. One shot of her sitting in the front of the drum kit with the guitar in between her legs makes me blush, here intense eyes seem to look through me. Into me.

“God took more time with you, didn’t he,” I whisper at the picture, “He did a good job too…”

The pictures and cameras around me seem to yell at me, accusing me of cheating on them with the gorgeous woman I had only known of for a few days, but I can’t hear them. I’m under a spell that cannot be broken. A spell that I had fallen into the second my eyes met the woman days prior. A quote from my favorite art teacher escapes my lips as I stare at the goddess my film captured, my heart sputtering as my mind catches up with it. 

“There once was a woman who dreamed of being with an artist,” I whisper, “She wished for someone to see her how she truly was. See every curve. Adore every line. Bless each indentation. Love every inch of her that everyone else did not see. She wanted her lover to love her unique beauty not what was seen at the surface....but what was underneath…”

Jennie continues to seduce me from the picture and a groan escapes my lips.

I close my eyes, “What are you doing do me, Jennie Kim?”

_ **She** _   
_ **She lives in daydreams with me** _   
_ **She's the first one that I see** _   
_ **And I don't know why** _   
_ **I don't know who she is** _


	7. "Phone a Friend"

I awoke with little resolve to get up but the knowledge of a short popstar waiting for me with an angry kitten-pout pulled me out of bed with both hesitance and giddiness to see her again. Standing in the ice-cold water of my shower did little to help ease the sleep from my bones. My eyes move in the direction of my office and I’m reminded of the hours I spent staring at the pictures I had taken of the diva. My mind continued to loop the pictures’ development like a gloomy scene of a retro movie as I dressed in light blue jeans and a jersey cardigan for the day. I forced a black cup of coffee into my belly and made my way out of the house. My red car tauntingly smiles at me so I pick the Jeep Wrangler instead as if to scold it for its behavior. 

It seemed like the whole world was against me today as the second I was outside my stomach began to do flips of nausea and the bright sun created a migraine to pulse behind my eyes. I hit every red light in sight and once on the freeway I was cornered behind the slowest Sedan in the world. It was a miracle that I made it to the mansion we were shooting at on time. The shooting for the day would be outside so I took my half-emptied coffee from its holder along with my bag and walked the perimeter of the house to reach the backyard and gardens. I had picked this mansion specifically for the onsite carousel in the middle of the rose garden but at the moment I curse at myself for picking such a big house as I had stumbled a few times on the way there, barley dodging the sprinklers for the exemplary kept grass and garden in between stumbles, my white shoes getting fresh mud on the sides in the process.

“Buenas, Lisa,” Tommy waves once I’m in the equipment tent.

I raise a brow as an answer, causing all the crew to look up in confusion. During work, I'm usually kind and respectful, not overly so as I am at work and not on my downtime but enough to not be considered condescending or entitled. It was rare when I became sullen almost broody but considering how yesterday ended, the sudden mood change from yesterday’s hopeful one wasn’t all that surprising to Tommy or my more experienced crew. On the contrary, there were sets when I became angry after my first encounter with my subject but always when away from them so as to not cause a scene. The confusion among them however was because I was outward about my feelings and didn’t even care to show my foul mood. A beat passes and the bravest of the setup crew walks up to me with a neutral expression but worried brows.

“Something wrong,” the camera grip, James, asks with a small frown, “Are you sick or…”

“Long night,” I answer with narrowed eyes and a displeased frown, “Is the diva here yet?”

My dismissing tone shocks them further but Tommy responds with a simple ‘no’ and I nod. My instincts kick in and I move about the tent to get ready for Jennie’s arrival. I both thank and curse the fact that the week had just begun and five days of working with Jennie still remain. The thought of standing right in front of the woman with her eyes locked on me, or rather my lense, while being watched by her staff and my noisy crew. 

_How long will I have to endure this? Will I even be able to? I could barely pull away from the pictures of her to go to bed last night..._

I had bought a three-bedroom home in the shadows of Sunset Strip right before moving to L. A. and it became my home very quickly. I had converted the master bedroom into my office and the attached bathroom into the darkroom I use today. The darkroom became a place for solitude for the past year and a half, a perfect place to focus on my work and allow my mind to review thoughts for the day. It was when I had stared at Jennie’s photo from the part for another half hour that my thoughts began to catch up with my feelings.

I had come to the realization that I had a developing crush on Jennie, one that I could not absolutely allow continuing. Jennie and I lived in distant worlds. Jennie lived in the world of schmoozing and stardust and glimmer in front of the camera as well as outside of it, being paraded by lovestruck men and women that only wished for a glance their way. I, on the other hand, thrived behind the camera and out of the eyes of prowlers only living to bask in my work and not in dazzling anyone with my charm or looks. With our careers laid down in front of us, it would seem like the perfect relationship that could breed in Hollywood: a director and an actress, a writer and a director, a musician and a producer, a model and a photographer. It did look very star-studded and perfect for a Hallmark movie or a book-to-movie that young adult film directors thrived on.

But that’s just what it was: a Hollywood bred relationship. The kind of relationship that was always assumed was for publicity and would ultimately fail due to reaching too high or loss of interest on both parties. It didn’t help matters that on Jennie’s half it wasn’t based on the States but on the Korean Peninsula, a land where same-sex relationships were still uncommon and frowned upon by the older generations. Even if we were of opposite sexes the relationship would eventually fall due to the heavy scandals that surrounded Koran starlets. Only one trending comment could result in an end to her career. There was also the fact that, from what I could gather after a guilty trip into the Korean gossip channels on twitter, the woman was straight and had dated a guy from one of the most famous Korean Pop groups around the world. Compared to a suave handsome muscly K-Pop star, Jennie would have little interest in a broody photographer that on occasion had to use a cane from ghost pains from about a decade ago.

I could feel the migraine behind my eyes pound its way all through my skull as my mind countered my gloom and doom with the sultry look Jennie showed to my camera. I narrow my eyes at my damn heart and pray that I could have the coldness that my birth father had towards my mother after conceiving me. Perhaps if I were more like him I could just forget about Jennie and move on to the next conquest like he was famous for. I had started as my father, visiting country after country and having conquest upon conquest, never once had picked up feelings for them other than lust until now. It seemed that I was destined to grovel over Jennie’s feet as she had vanquished the wandering beast I had in my soul for some time, forcing it to follow her every whim while slowly killing it for doing so.

“She’s here!”

**“UGH!”**

I drop my head a little too forcefully on the table in front of me, allowing my whole body to land over it in defeat. I stay there in that position for a few minutes until I force myself to get up from my despair. Taking advantage of Jennie’s long preparations for the shoot, I quickly walk as far away as possible and pull out my cell phone. It rings a few times before the person on the other side answers.

**“Good morning!”**

“Mornin’,” I grunt.

**“Oh wow! What’s up? Did something happen with you and your princess?”**

I grit my teeth and force out, “She’s not my princess. Right now she’s a mermaid trying to seduce me into sinking my own ship!”

**“Oh god, Lisa! What did the hell happen? You were so happy sending me texts all day yesterday about her getting scared at the rides and zombie maze! What did you do?”**

I shake my head and glance over to the tents. A few people mingle about and I catch a few workers glance over at me. I send a glare at them filled with all the anger I have in me at my situation and scare all of them in their place. They turn away, hiding their petrified faces, and continue to work only now faster to prevent my anger to slip into their job performance.

I turn my back to the crew before answering, “You remember that girl I took pictures of at Balboa?”

**“You’re talking about that poor girl you stalked? Yeah, I remember her.”**

“I did _not_ stalk her, Rose,” I growl back, “I told you I was watching her and I _had_ to take her picture.”

**“Sure, sure. It doesn’t matter what you call it. It was still stalking.”**

I groan out and slap my forehead with frustration, “Rose!”

**“What about her?”**

“She’s Jennie,” I whisper into the speaker, “The girl at the park? That was Jennie.”

**“AND YOU _JUST_ FIGURED IT OUT?!”**

I wince at her shout and out of fear of her loud outburst, I look around to make sure no one has heard. Seeing that no one had paid attention, I turn back to my conversation.

“Yes,” I say through hushed exasperation, “I knew it was her the second she walked into your cafe-”

**“WHAT THE HELL LALISA?! WHY HAVEN’T YOU TOLD ME THIS UNTIL NOW!?”**

“We’ve both been busy with work, Rosie,” I huff out, “Anyway, I developed all the film from yesterday that was usable, and then I suddenly wanted to look at the pictures from that day. I found the pictures and…”

**“And what? Did they suck?”**

_God I wish they did._

“No,” I frown, “She looked so beautiful in them. She looked so carefree and perfect. I don’t know how someone can be so sexy one second and the next look like a soft maiden from one of those predictable K-Dramas you make me watch.”

**“Hey! You loved _Crash Landing On You_when we watched it!”**

“I did,” I smirk down at the ungodly green grass under my feet, “I just...I think I like her Chae…”

**“Awe. Little Lisa has a crush on a pop star. How...hypocritical of you!”**

I chuckle at her sickly sweet tone, “Yeah whatever loser. I just don’t know what to do now.”

**“What do you mean? You can’t do much right? I mean even if she swung both ways, she’s super famous. Her label would kill her first before letting her date a Thailand born tomboy photographer from Las Angeles.”**

My eyes roll, “Thanks for the reality check, Chef Park.”

**“What? It’s true. Why do you think I’d rather remain friends with Jisoo? She’s hot and sweet and cute but god do I not want to be scrutinized under a microscope for holding that woman’s hand in public. I don’t even know how you managed to convince yourself to go out in public with Jennie! Someone might have seen you two together! Her nickname isn’t _Korea’s Princess_ for no reason, you know?!”**

“Oh god. That’s right,” I groan, “I’m so stupid!”

**“Tell me something I don’t know, little chick.”**

I shake my head, “Well, then what now? Do I just work and keep her away? Pretend nothing is wrong?”

**“Only you know the answer for that, Lisa. Talk to her maybe?”**

I huff and deflect to her, not daring the thought of talking to Jennie, “You and Jisoo?”

**“Me and Jisoo what?”**

“Oh come off it,” with a roll of my eyes, “You know what I’m asking.”

**“We decided to be friends.”**

“She likes you back,” I balk, “What the hell?”

**“She does, but we both know the dangers that would emerge if we did date. We’re okay for now. Jisoo is into her fifth drama now and her fourth CD is in the works too. She said something about a Charlie Puth collab she has in a few weeks so she’s meeting up with Jennie here. She said she might visit me but I'm not holding out for it. I’m opening another restaurant in San Francisco so I’m neck-deep in work too. We’re going our ways but staying in contact as friends. Maybe someday but not anytime soon.”**

I roll my eyes at Chae’s logical answer, “Yeah that’s all nice and all, but what about me? I have to stare at her all day for the next month at work not to mention the editing I have to supervise!”

**“Oh. Well, I don’t know what to tell you.”**

I groan loudly, “Thank you, Rosie! Thank you for nothing!”

**“You’re welcome! I have to go now, Lis. Chef Cameron is visiting today and I have to get started. Good luck and have a nice day little chick! I have faith in you!”**

And with that my best friend hangs up on me. I lower my phone and stare at it in disbelief at her action. 

**“Miss Manoban?”**

My right eye twitches at the Korean accent and I close my eyes. I take in a deep breath and force myself to set my mind for work and nothing else. I turn around and see Jennie’s manager. 

**“Yes, sir,”** I ask with a tight smile, **“Good morning. How can I help you?”**

The man attempts to raise a brow, making me feel a little amused, but answers, **“Miss Jennie’s camera is full. We got her more rolls of film for it. She wants to use the pictures she’s taken for her photobook. Is there any way that you could-”**

**“Sure,”** I cut him off, **“I’ll edit them as well. Just know that I’ll start editing and doing final touches two weeks from now. If she’d like to document for her fans how her project progressed.”**

**“I see,”** he nods, **“Can she also pick the ones she likes the-”**

**“Yes,”** I cut him off again, **“I’ll make a nice packet for her and your team to go through.”**

**“Thank you so much,”** he bows, **“She should be ready in a few minutes.”**

I wave him off and he runs off to find the princess. I sigh again, alone to myself, and let out a grunt filled with annoyance at the situation I’m in. I look down at my watch and resign myself to the sweet torture I’m about to endure. 

“Tommy,” I shout once I’m at the tent again, “Is the tent for Miss Kim’s wardrobe change ready?”

“Yes ma’am,” the young man nods to me, “Everything is ready so the stylists can change her when ready.”

“Alright,” I exhale and pull a digital cam over my head and another in my left hand, “Landscape shots. Tell her to step in when she’s ready. We’ve got changes it seems. Candid shots for Laura and Guy. Kenny, you’re in charge of Polaroid shots. Video cam is all yours Cedric. Tommy? In between need to be saturated or muted so check the lighting as well.”

After making sure the have started their preparations, I walk to the large pool behind the manor. The large pool is big enough for three large trailer tucks to take up space. Behind the pool is a grand staircase under a large circular window, the exact one we had been using for the shots from yesterday. The water is clear and looks blue from the tile it's decorated with. It’s a beautiful set and I could see why the music video director had set this place as the music video location.

I look behind me to see a part of the stylist team begin to take up their tent, sans Jennie, and start conversing with my crew. My eyebrows furrow at the whole scene but I force myself to focus on my work, its the sole reason why I’m here. I pull out my phone and connect it to the large Bluetooth speaker I bring with me to photoshoots such as this. My fingers quickly move over the screen I lift my camera to my eye and start snapping at the scene. I focus on the plastic lifeguard chair, making the area around look blurry, then do the opposite as well.

I focus the lens again and as if being summoned by God himself, Jennie walks out of the large white double doors and directly into my view. Time slows down suddenly as the small woman walks towards me. My eyes slowly take the pop star in while my heart hammers against my chest and leaves me shivering in a cold sweat. Jennie’s hair blows softly as the wind hits her directly, making her silky locks shimmer in the sunlight with each step she takes down the stairs. I feel my jaw unhinge softly as the top part of the small sequent black and blue dress she is wearing clings to her body like a second skin. I feel a blush take over my face when my eyes connect with Jennie’s dark eyes. I don’t move, frozen by her deep stare, and feel as if naked as her eyes look me over. Once Jennie is done with her search, she lifts an eyebrow causing an electric current flows from the top of my head, down my spine, and through my toes. It seems she knows her effect on me because the corner of her lips pulls softly to create a hidden smirk. 

My eyes widen, in shock at her action, and I desperately lick at my suddenly dry lips. I drag my hands roughly on my jeans then let them tinker with the camera in my hand to stop me from doing something stupid. The pop star doesn't look away from me, instead, the small smirk blooms into a breathtaking smile. My eyelashes flutter at the hypnotic sight in front of me. As if on cue, the music I had asked for starts to play, and the song makes me want to both drown myself in the picturesque pool or brave a lifted eyebrow of my own to the singer.

_ **Yeah** _  
_ **Started off right** _  
_ **I can see it in your eyes** _  
_ **I can tell that you're wantin' more** _  
_ **What's been on your mind?** _  
_ **There's no reason we should hide** _  
_ **Tell me somethin' I ain't heard before** _

The goddess is a few meters away from me, causing me to feel as if I was staring directly into the sun. She’s a dark beauty but the aura radiating from her made my skin burn in both lust and adoration. Jennie’s small stature forces images of having her cuddled into my side and then R-rated images of her underneath me on white sheets. My hands twitch again, begging to hold onto the girl as they did yesterday, but I tighten my hands into painful fists instead and force Rosie’s talk into my mind again. 

“Good morning Lisa,” Jennie smiles up at me while speaking in a slightly husky tone, “I’m ready for the day. I hope you are too?”

My whole body twitches as her heated stare goes over me again then stare deeply into my eyes. I don’t say anything for a moment, to in shock at her sudden advances, but upon hearing her clearing her throat I quickly speak.

“I-I,” a stutter comes out of me, “Y-yes! Uhm. Good morning...Jennie.”

The woman smirks again and mirth floods her express full eyes. Another sharp pain is felt in my heart caused by the adorable and sexy sight. I feel as if two sides of my heart are tugging in opposite directions, an exact mirror of how my thoughts are going.

_What the hell happened?! She was so skittish for the rest of the night after the Light Show Incident!_

_Does it really matter though?! She’s flirting! With me! In front of everyone!___

_ _ _Flirting? In front of everyone. Wait! In front of everyone?! What if-_ _ _

_ _My thoughts scream to a halt as the woman takes another step forward, leaving only a foot of space between us, and places a hand over the one I have on my camera. _ _

_ _“I didn’t get to thank you for yesterday,” she says softly while fluttering her eyelashes up at me, “I felt much better after our trip, despite the little episode that happened, and I had a lot of fun hanging out with you. I guess I just needed an outing to relax. You don’t have to worry about a repeat of yesterday. I’m ready to work just tell me where you want me.”_ _

_ _My eyes glance down at her hand and her eyes shift again, this time predatory, and the electric current goes through me again. Jennie’s dark eyes are unreadable to me but the magnetizing aura she’s pushing at me is enough of a distraction that I don’t care about trying to understand her burning stare. All I can focus on is continuing the conversation like a normal human being could._ _

_ _“It was no problem. I wanted to go out too,” I force out, “You’re ready to begin? It’s going to be a demanding day. We need to make up for yesterday.”_ _

_ _“Are your shoots often,” Jennie pauses for a second then she steps that last step towards me, “Demanding?_ _

_ _Her sudden husky voice freezes me in place for a moment then I shake my head away from the Jennie-induced fog. I chuckle awkwardly. She raises a brow but the small smirk on her pink lips grows just a little bit. _ _

_ _“I hope you can keep up,” I playfully answer, somehow growing a little backbone to flirt back._ _

_ _Jennie looks me over, making me shiver again, then raises a brow, “The question is if _you_ can keep up with _me,_ Miss Manoban.”_ _

_ _Jennie then leaves me frozen at my spot with my head full of questions. The most prominent being:_ _

_ _ _What the hell was that?!_ _ _

_ _\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_ _

_ _The loose cardigan the photographer wore hung off her back in such a way that creamy skin of the back of her neck and the top of her back was exposed to me from this angle. I bit my lip at seeing her stretch over the table to grab something and making her toned legs look even longer at the stretch she’s doing. My eyes rake over the young woman, appreciating her lanky but toned form as she moves about the food tent we’re all under for our break. She grabs a large variety of food then takes up one of the last remaining seats, undisturbed by the other workers._ _

_ _I bite my lip as she opens her drink with a smooth move than taking a long sip. My eyes trace her throat as she drinks deeply. I shiver in my seat and feel a dark blush appear on my face. A sudden buzzing from the small table I’m eating my food at brings me back from my lust-filled stalking and I look down at the red phone with both anger and relief._ _

_ _“Isn’t it a bit too early to be calling, unnie?”_ _

_ _ **“Check your phone Jendukie! It’s five already! You know I wake up early to go to the gym. I’m on my way right now. So, how are things with tall, dark and handsome?”** _ _

_ _I snort but smirk to myself at her teasing tone, “She froze on me when I flirted with her this morning. I keep catching her pinching herself all day. I really shouldn’t be flirting with her in front of everyone but she looks so cute when she gets embarrassed.”_ _

_ _ ** “Laying it on thick, Jenduk? Sheesh, give the woman a little breathing room before you jump her bones. Have you talked to the manager? He’d probably help you keep things low if you-”** _ _

_ _“If that were the case then you would be sending nudes to your Chef,” I cut her off._ _

_ _Jisoo huffs, ** “Keep Rosie and me out of this, Jennie. I already told you that I prefer having my bed warm instead of my phone. Why should I be exclusive if she won’t be here to keep take care of me?”**_ _

_ _“Ugh, your so gross,” my nose wrinkles, “So not romantic.”_ _

_ _ **“You’re the romantic out of all of us, despite what Kai complained to his friends about, so of course you won’t understand.”** _ _

_ _“I understand,” I roll my eyes, “But come on! The woman was like a puppy begging for treats when I brought you up! She’s a total catch! Just because she can’t rub one out of you regularly doesn't mean you should friendzone her!”_ _

_ _ **“I didn’t do such a thing.** _ _

_ _“What,” I furrow my brows._ _

_ _ ** “We agreed of no strings attached. I can’t wait to go see her actually. Nam-Joon has been on that tour for too long and I really need a proper release since I can’t just teleport to Brazil overnight.”** _ _

_ _“Unnie,” I groan, “I don’t want to know about your ‘needs’! I’m just saying you two would be so good together!’_ _

_ _Jisoo hums, **“Like you and your photographer?”**_ _

_ _I blush and my eyes turn to the woman. Lisa is now talking animatedly with a few of the light crew, nodding along and talking with her hands. I’m focused on her hands, long, slim, and beautiful, then a chuckle rings in my ear after a few seconds of staring._ _

_ _ **“A lovestruck Jendukie! My, it has been a while!”** _ _

_ _“I-I have no idea what y-your talking about!”_ _

_ _**“Uhuh,"** Jisoo snorts, **“Then why did you call me to tell me about how good she smells and how she held you in the middle of an American theme park? Or how about when she took you to the walk of fame and even took pictures of you in front of all the neon lights? I’m not stupid Jennie. I’ve known you longer then I’ve known my family. You like her. Badly. Just go with it. I’m sure she won’t be against it. Boss Man would help you if you do decide to do it. You’re his little princess so he’d totally do anything for you.”**_ _

_ _“It’s not that easy, Jisoo,” I huff, “You know I’m being watched like a hawk! What if we get caught? My career would be over! I bearly lasted when Kai and I were outed! I can only imagine how people will react if they found out I was with a woman that lives in America! They already gave me grief when Harry Styles came to see me at my Soul concert!”_ _

_ _**“Jennie, sweetheart, we talked about this already,”** my best friend sighs, **“Jealousy will always surround us, especially you since you’re so popular. Whatever you do will be national news so why not just do whatever you want? You have a ton of fans, mostly women as you know, and they determine if you succeed or not. They love you and always will. But I’m not stupid to say you will be scratch-free from every one of them. That’s why I said you should talk to Boss Man so he can help you. You went about it the wrong way with Kai, going behind his back, so why not do this the correct way? He’ll keep you safe from prying eyes.”**_ _

_ _I bite my nail tip gently then answer, “Lisa-”_ _

_ _**“Is a broody vampire. She doesn't do interviews nor does anyone know what she looks like. She’s a ghost and a perfect person for you to date. She’ll be able to move around without people asking too many questions,”** Jisoo interjects, **“It’s sort of perfect that you fell for the woman. If people find out who she is, they’ll just say you’re her muse and she’s your personal photographer.”**_ _

_ _I gawk and Jisoo’s cunningness. The woman was always quick to find a loophole or solution to any problems we would get it. I’m reminded of her older brother’s profession, federal prosecutor, and can’t help think that Jisoo would have been a good addition to his team._ _

_ _“I guess,” I answer lamely, “Can’t I just flirt with her for a little while until I figure out what I really want?”_ _

_ _Jisoo laughs, **“And that’s why we’re best friends Jen. Do what you want, but I do suggest you at least tell her how you feel. She might just hide from you when your photo shoot is over. I heard that Irene flirted with her once out of nowhere and she ended the shoot right then.”**_ _

_ _“Irene flirted with her,” I narrow my eyes._ _

_ _**“Whoa, calm down there baby bear,”** Jisoo laughs again, **“She’s all yours. Just please talk to her. You both need to be on the same page on this. If you do decide to be with her, you need Bossman’s help. Okay?”**_ _

_ _I sigh, “Okay. I’ll talk to her- No. I’ll invite her to diner tonight.”_ _

_ _**“However you prefer,”** Jisoo hums, **“Good luck Jennie!”**_ _

_ _“Bye,” I hang up after she does. _ _

_ _I stare down at my phone for a second then look up to the table Lisa is in. She’s now focused on her food, scarfing it down like there is a pack of wolves ready to take it from her. Her cheeks are extended as she stuffs her face with the Italian pasta that was on her plate. A small memory of her eating gracefully when we first met plays in my head. I smirk to myself at the difference and feel a little flutter in my stomach._ _

_ _ _Maybe you’re right Chu…_ _ _


	8. "Eyes like Kuma"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello! How have you guys been? I hope you are all taking care of yourselves. Here is the next chapter, it's rather long so it will be two parts. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy it and let me know what you think. Also, if you see anything off or any mistakes please tell me so I can fix it.
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> P.S. Points to the people that figure out what songs I'm using!

When I was in New Zealand I had a major crush on a boy named Evan. He was the son of a high ranked American military officer and a brain surgeon. His father had moved from place to place, stationed for a few months on different stations until his mother stepped her foot down and decided to take a job as head of an Auckland hospital. Evan had then been sent to the same private school I was in to help him start his path to become a doctor like his mother. 

Evan was kind and sweet. He spoke Mandarin, German, and enough Korean to get by in a casual conversation. That is what pulled me to him. I had trouble sometimes speaking, stuttering between words, and he would speak up and say a few words in Korean that could fill in what I wanted to say before giving me the English words I was looking for. We became friends and the leaders of a pack of multi-language speaking kids that came from well off families. He and I became best friends and soon enough that led to me liking him romanticly.

It made sense. His family was from European descent and he was handsome despite the sprinkle of early adolescent acne he had. He was a jock, a tennis player that dabbled in rugby and football, so he filled the uniform navy blazer well with his broad shoulders. Evan was what every girl wanted: smart, athletic, kind, and assertive when need be. Despite all of his qualities, the main thing that made me fall for him was his gorgeous eyes. The hazel color would change depending on his mood. If he was angry or annoyed, they would turn a vibrant green. When he was happy or full of emotion, they would turn a honey color. I could stare into his eyes for hours and not grow tired of the number of emotions that swirled in them.

My infatuation with eyes continued over the years as I left New Zealand and went to America then back to Korea. Evan turned into a well-read boy named Dylan then finally to Kai. Boyish kindness of hazel eyes were defeated by deep blue navy pools of an aspiring philanthropist then they fell to the dark mysterious brown eyes of a K-Pop Star. 

It now seems poetic that the eyes that millions of girls wished to be gazed by fell into the same fate as the others. What I didn’t expect was the record speed of infatuation I had fallen into. It took me years to develop feelings for Evan and months for Dylan. Kai had been an exception, a few weeks of bumping into each other during award shows was enough for my heart to pull to him. But Lisa… Dear God, it took Lisa a few days for me to fall head over heels for her. 

_I blame those eyes of hers._

The photoshoot had started heated thanks to my flirting but as the day progressed so did Lisa’s confidence. Burning eyes stared back at me during the entire day. Not one second passed where they moved away from me. Her eyes stayed directly on me allowing me to look clearly into Lisa’s eyes. The photographer had dark chocolate eyes that I could not stop looking into. The depths of the brown pools hypnotized me as no others could. They were dark, like Kai’s, but held so many emotions that even Jisoo’s could not hold. It didn’t help that the emotions shining in them would change depending on the song playing in the background. 

Dance tracks filled with Hip-Hop made them playful as if they danced along to the beat, once in a while they would look distant as if to see something only they could. Pop songs made them smile almost to the point of crying in happiness and excitement. My favorite had to be slow R&B songs made the color seem almost black filled with lust and seduction. The change from _I Like It_ to _City Girls_ almost gave me a heart attack. I had never seen something as sexy as Lisa’s eyes during those three minutes and fifty seconds.

I knew I had a blush that reached under the top of my dress as that look zoomed in on me. I had to grip the chair I was sitting on tightly before I fell onto the floor as a melted mass of mush or jumped into the tall woman’s chiseled arms. Lisa seemed to have sensed it and, either for the need for the shoot of her own amusement, decided to put on songs that followed the same vein. I shivered my way into another two hours of photos around the mansion with a backdrop of sexy bedroom songs that made my blood sing for bold actions. Lisa fared only slightly better. I could see her long fingers clenched tightly around her camera from time to time. I swear at one time she turned around, back to me, to compose herself after I had winked at the camera.

_It was sweet torture._

“Al-alright,” Lisa stuttered after the clock struck six, “Enough for today! Everyone did well! Remember, we’re moving to the next place so keep an eye on your emails tomorrow so you know our schedule!”

The staff shouted their replies and scattered back to their stations, leaving a few of my crew to help me off the platform I was standing on. I thanked my manager then walked slowly to Lisa. Her back was turned to me as she messed with her camera. I stood for a few seconds just watching her, waiting for myself to decide what to do, then walked up behind her to look over her shoulder. Snaps from earlier in the day passed quickly under her thumb. My eyes blink rapidly at the screen as I took in the shots. They were really good and well used. No shot was wasted, all of them were focussed and well lit, and another round of admiration towards the woman in front of me flooded my body.

“I look like a princess,” I speak without thinking.

LIsa straightens up from fright and her camera almost slips out of her fingers. I watch with a barely contained grin as the woman turns around with a light blush dusting her cute cheeks. She stares at me with wide eyes for a few seconds then looks away embarrassed.

“Uh,” she grasps at straws, “Ye-yeah. Like a princess…”

“What,” I raise a brow to her, “Did I look terrible? I mean I’m no Beyonce but-”

“NO,” Lisa shouts, scaring me for a second then making me bite my lip in amusement, “No, you look beautiful. Gorgeous. Like a goddess out of a painting…”

It’s my turn to blush along with her. She looks down, rubbing the back of her neck, and I can see a cute pout and downturned eyebrows on her face. I on the other hand feel the blush on my cheeks linger for a second before I let out a giggle. Lisa looks up with surprised eyes and I cover my mouth. The woman says something under her breath that I can’t catch but the tone is different from any language I’ve heard her speak so I assume it’s in her native tongue.

“So, are you going to go back to your office,” I change topics so her blushing won’t cause a new tan on her skin, “One of the make-up girls, Trish, said you don’t really get out much. Everyone is still shocked you made us leave yesterday…”

Lisa looks up at me then glances away, “Uh, yeah. I’m headed there right after I make sure the last sets are ready at the warehouse. I have to make sure we have enough sets for your magazine appearances along with your photobook.”

“We’re going to shoot for the magazines there too,” I raise a brow, “We're not going to a studio or something?”

“Yes we are,” she nods, “Mine. I just want to get as many outdoor sets done before we go to my place. We’ll only spend two days at the warehouse then we’ll spend the last three at my studio. Sounds good?”

_No…not really._

“Yeah,” I fake a smile then turn around to start walking towards my area, “It's great!”

The realization that I have less than a week with the woman sends me into a whirlwind of emotions again. I feel anger at not being assertive enough to say something as well as towards the little time I have left with her. Sadness bubbles to the top of me just thinking of not seeing this walking sunshine again. I blink and freeze as I notice the soft hand grab tentatively at my wrist. 

“Jennie?”

I turn around and almost jump back at how close Lisa is to me, almost directly against me. The cardigan is thin enough for me to feel the hard muscles she’s hiding. Her face is mostly bare of makeup except for a little mascara and light concealer she has under her eyes. Her scent was just as strong as yesterday, maybe even more so, and it has me blinking rapidly at the alluring scent. The woman smiles softly down at me and her kind eyes look warm and friendly, almost wanting to please. They remind me of Kuma by the innocence that shines in them. My heart tugs at the look she’s giving me and I feel another soft blush take over my features.

_Those eyes… And that little mole! UGH!_

I gulp down my arousal and answer, “Y-yes?”

“Do you want to come and see it,” she asks with a bashful shrug.

“See it,” I repeat, still stunned by her presence.

“Yeah. My studio? It’s not that far away from your hotel. It's right off Santa Monica,” then her expression turns into a mischievous smirk, “I’m a block away from the Chanel boutique and two away from Louis Vuitton and Gucci…”

My eyes widen, “You’re right next to the boutiques?!”

Lisa blinks then smirks knowingly, “Yeah. Rosie’s sister is an attorney and she works in the building with some fancy entertainment lawyers. Their dad and mine bought the building so we can all use it together. Rosie uses it as her PR guy’s office on the first floor so people won’t hound her at her restaurants, while Alice has her buffet on the second floor for the tech companies or artists that need contracts to be looked at. I get the top floor since it has the best lighting for my pictures and has a lot of room for sets. There’s a top floor but we use that for an eating space, it has a balcony to look over and we mostly use it when the place next door does there outdoor movie nights.”

My mind tries to catch up to what is going on but my head nods before I fully process what is happening. Lisa’s smile widens largely and my heart flutters again but ten times harder. 

“Great,” she half-shouts, “You go get dressed and tell your guys where we're going and I’ll check that everything is ready for us to leave. The warehouse we’re going to isn’t that far from my house so I’ll go early tomorrow to check everything is set up. Meet me at my car again?”

I nod again and she grins once more at me. My whole being then freezes as Lisa bends down and kisses my cheek. My stomach empties under me while every hair on my body stands on end. Lisa, unfazed, turns around and swaggers out of the garden.

_What the hell?!_

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_What the hell?!_

_Why did I do that?!_

I breathe in deeply while trying to put my cameras away. 

“I can’t believe I did that,” I mumble under my breath, “What was I thinking|?”

_You weren't. You were just thinking about that cute smile that she was giving you. And that laugh! Oh God! You have an angel missing Sir!_

A dreamy sigh leaves my lips while my brain replays Jennie's cute giggle and that fluffy cheek smile. I could feel myself swoon at that expression when it happened in real-time. Now I had the pleasure to replay it to myself.

_Why replay it when you can see it again?_

I nod to myself and put my cameras in my bag, ready to run to my car in fear of Jennie ditching me. The leather bag is a little heavier than usual when I toss it over my shoulder but it's manageable. I go over my head staff before thanking them for the day. I giddily walk out of the mansion’s garden and to the front of the large house. Unlike yesterday, a pint-sized diva leans against my red Porsche. The woman looks adorably sexy leaning against the passenger door, dressed in an off the shoulder white top and straight jeans and large clear framed sunglasses. Her hair was tossed back as if thoroughly ravished in the back of the car she was leaning against, and the sun shone just right on her that my fingers itched to snap a shot.

I stop in my tracks at my thought and quickly pull out my camera again. Jennie raises a brow but doesn't' move as I pull off the cover and look into the viewer. The woman gets the hint and leans back just a bit, allowing me to see the sun drip sexually over her exposed neck. A little drop of sweat slowly goes down her temple then down her neck to hide under her shirt. I gulp and take the shot.

Jennie smirks and moves into another pose. I stare wide-eyed as she walks around to the front of the car to sit on its hood. My mouth is dry as she sits on the hood and positions herself with her hands behind her to arch her back. The way she tilts her head and smirks at me triggers dirty images in my subconscious that had been very present during the shoot. Jennie’s smirk widens into a sexy smile and I quickly move to the front of the car to take the pictures she’s giving me. 

Thoughts of less clothing and sexy R&B playing in the background swirl while my heartbeat stutters like a teenage boy looking at the head cheerleader across the cafeteria. Jennie seems to understand or have similar thoughts because she moves to hold her chin in her left hand while pulling her bottom lip with her thumb. I breathe in sharply and take snap after snap of the gorgeous specimen in front of me. 

We continue this dance for a few more minutes until I trip over my feet when she decides to run her hand through her hair while looking seductively at me. I blush furiously as Jennie laughs her musical laugh. I feel embarrassed at my sudden clumsiness but her soft laugh makes me smile despite my embarrassment.

“Are you okay,” she asks with a little accent on her vowels, “You didn’t pull something?”

“N-no,” I scratch my cheek, “I’m fine. I didn’t see that rock there.”

_There was no rock, Lalisa!_

Jennie smiles, “Right.”

I look around for a second and somehow meet the eyes of Jennie’s head guard. He looks impassive but I can’t tell because he’s wearing aviator sunnies. I shake my head and pull out my Ray-Bans’ to put them on. Jennie raises a brow with a twitch of her lips but says nothing as I go to her side and open the door for her. I bow cheesily and wave her into the seat.

“How charming,” she snorts with a grin.

I grin back and close the door after her. The guards nearby nod to me when I turn to look over at them and I take that as a ‘go ahead.’ I walk to the front of the car and slide over the hood of my car. Jennie snorts again, unimpressed at my actions, as I open my door and get inside. I chance a look over at her and see that she’s amused despite her actions. 

I cough then force myself to ask, “Top-down?”

“Yes please,” she smirks at my wording.

“Go ahead,” I blush.

Jennie gives me another smile and hits the button once I’ve got the engine going. I back up from the spot and make my way onto the highway back down the Hills and to my studio. We drive for a few minutes in comfortable silence until when I pause at a stop sign and turn on the radio. A familiar song starts playing through the speakers that make my skin tingle and my tongue run over my bottom lip. I chance a glance at Jennie only to see her looking over her sunnies at me. My body shivers as the lyrics surround us in a bubble that only we are inside of.

_ **Oh, now you done it, you woke up some stuff** _  
_ **We gone have to talk about it 'round here, things might get rough** _  
_ **You poked a sleeping giant that ain't ate in months** _  
_ **And when it opens its eyes, first thing it's gonna wanna do** _

_ **Welcome to my jungle, welcome to my world** _  
_ **I'm no longer boy and you're much stronger a girl** _  
_ **I'm now barracuda and you're now Thundercat** _  
_ **And we're at war, we're at war with no compass or map** _  
_ **No compass or map** _

**HONK! HONK!**

I jump and whip my head back to the front. From my peripheral, I can see Jennie look out of the window. Without another word, I continue driving. The deep blush that had appeared when the cars honked behind me slowly dissipates and I glance at Jennie. She’s looking forward now while holding her bottom lip between her teeth I can see the corner of her lips twitch up. The sight reassures me that I wasn’t the only one spellbound earlier so I take a chance again and move my hand to cover hers as they lay on her lap. Jennie looks up at me but I don’t look. Instead, I look up at the mirror to see if her shadows are still there.

“Do you want them with us,” I aks seriously while waiting for the light to change.

“What,” she frowns.

“Your shadows,” I answer, “I can get rid of them.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I blink and stare at Lisa. She looks serious as she raises an eyebrow at me. I look over my shoulder to the three black SUVs behind us. In a snap decision, I look to her and frown.

“There’s a problem though,” I tell her, “We might get in trouble-”

“Let me worry about that princess,” Lisa winks, “Tighten your seatbelt.”

I do as she says. Just as I’m releasing the seatbelt, the light changes to green, and the photographer hits the gas forcefully. I shriek as the asphalt under the tires disappears. Lisa lets go of the steering wheel and hits the ‘Seek’ button on the radio. The song cuts off and voices start coming out of the speakers.

**Ten-four. I’m on a ten-seventy-four for a ten-fifteen.**

**Ten-four.**

“What is that,” I shout, holding tightly onto the seatbelt.

Lisa takes a sharp turn into a small road behind small shopping centers. The walls are so close that if I took out my hand I could touch them. I won’t even try that because the speed we're going could make it that I’d lose that hand.

“Police radio,” Lisa turns to grin at me, “I have to cross some white tape from time to time to get the perfect picture.”

My eyes widen at her expression, “LOOK FORWARD!”

The woman just laughs.

_Oh my god! What did I agree to?!_

The Porsche is faster than it looks, possibly through enhancements the photographer added, and tears through the streets of Las Angeles with ease. Lisa’s a great driver despite her cocky attitude from earlier. She takes turns with only one hand at the top of the steering wheel. Her eyes move all around us as she drives while keeping an ear out for any nearby police cruisers. I still feel terrified during the whole ride but the soothing hand Lisa has on my knee helps me relax enough to not fear completely for my life. 

“And here we are,” Lisa boasts when we turn off of Santa Monica and onto a crossing street. 

I catch the sign, Rodeo Drive it read, then look out the windows as Lisa slows down to less than standard. She switches the radio back on with the volume turned up, the stereo’s bass shakes the air around us as if we have our own background music. My jaw drops as the streets become lined with designer boutiques made out of marble and gold. 

_ **Now I like dollars, I like diamonds** _  
_ **I like stunting, I like shining** _  
_ **I like million dollar deals** _  
_ **Where's my pen? Bitch I'm signin'** _  
_ **I like those Balenciagas, the ones that look like socks** _  
_ **I like going to the jeweler, I put rocks all in my watch** _

“Welcome, Madame Kim to The Rodeo Collection,” Lisa says with a French accent, “Feel free to buy all you want. I can assure you, no one will bat an eye.”

The streets are lined with designer stores, Saint Laurent sits across from Celine. Well dressed men walk out of Giorgio Armani while women dripping in jewels walk out of Hermes with haughty smiles. The next street has beautiful sports cars sitting in front of Gucci while a black SUV with dark tinted windows waits for a suited man to exit Cartier that coincidently stood right across the street from Chanel.

“Woah,” I gape, “It’s like Fashion week decided to sit at one table together.”

“Well the popular kids _have_ to sit together,” Lisa chuckles, “The only downside is that the rent blows. Thank god we own the building. Property value is through the roof!”

Before I can snark something back a sign passes by to our left. My eyes widen as I read ‘Rodeo Drive Walk of Style’ and I turn to Lisa with surprise and excitement.

“Plaques of all the designers that have been here or are here,” she explains, “It’s more for the tourists but if you want I’ll walk you around.”

“Yes please,” I say eagerly.

“A fashionista,” Lisa chuckles, “Should have known.”

“Oh really,” I roll my eyes, “I saw that Balenciaga bag you use as a camera bag.”

Lisa looks bashfully as she answers, “That was a present from Rosie. She said I need a ‘brand’ for when I meet people. Whatever that means…”

“Ah I see,” I nod approvingly, “What’s hers?”

“YSL,” the photographer rolls her eyes again, “She’s into that indie chic look. I blame her music skills for that one.”

“Skills?”

“Yeah. She plays everything, like _everything_ everything. If you give her an hour with an instrument, she’ll figure out how to play it and write you a song too.”

I hum in response while turning back to the stores around me. The car keeps gliding through the street until we reach the end. I gape again this time for a different reason.

“MY HOTEL IS AT THE END OF THE STREET?!”

Lisa laughs, “I told you it wasn’t that far from your hotel!”

I fume, “No wonder they kept making me enter from the back entrance.”

Lisa laughs again, “They must fear your day-long shopping sprees, Miss Kim.”

I pout and cross my arms, “I don’t spend _all day!”_

The photographer snickers to herself, “Of course dear.”

The pet name makes me blush and gets rid of my annoyance, it's replaced with a warmth I've never felt before. Lisa turns to the left road next to my hotel and drives a few more streets until a large office building that takes over the whole street is on our left. She then turns into the building’s underground parking area that connects to the street. A small box keeping the gate closed prevents us from continuing but when Lisa reaches the box the gate automatically opens. I raise a brow and she just winks at me.

“Here we are, Miss Kim,” Lisa says when she pulls up to one of the exclusive spots next to the double elevators, “Manoban Studios.”

“A very exclusive place, I’m sure,” I mumble.

“You have no idea,” she smiles bashfully.

The woman is quick to run to my side and open the door. A slim hand is held out for me to take. I take it slowly and allow the tall woman to put it at the crook of her elbow. Lisa guides me to the elevators. Quick enough we’re in and out of the stainless steel box. The floor we enter is empty except for two solid wood doors behind a black marble desk with a well-dressed man behind it. Lisa pulls me forward as the young man stands up immediately. He looks to be Thai by the look of the nameplate on the desk he’s behind.

“Miss Manoban,” he bows lowly to her with his hands touching, “Welcome back. Is there anything you need?”

“Hello, San’ya,” she says assertively with her head held high, “Can you please call Miss Kim’s guards? Tell her she is safe and I will drive her back to her hotel. Send them the address to this office if they start antagonizing you. They will calm down. Also, if you could call Tommy and see if all the things from the mansion are taken care of? I will need all the working materials to be set at the warehouse we will be at tomorrow.”

The young man, San’ya, nods, “Yes ma’am. I will take care of it. The sets for the shoot are also ready to be set up for the day after tomorrow.”

“Thank you San’ya,” I smile, “Please make sure we are not disturbed unless it's important.”

“Of course,” he bows again and stays like that.

Lisa pulls me forward, past the bowing employee, and through the double doors. I don’t say a word when we enter the large studio. The studio took over the whole floor and looked like a ‘C’ from where the entrance was placed in the center. Large windows took over the three sides of the room and wood flooring made the whole space seem endless. To the right side of the room was a large white back screen that rolled to the middle of the floor. Large light boxes were placed around the background and two director chairs faced the background, the place Lisa would sit to take a break I assume. To the left of the room, a long white table with simple wood chairs tucked into it stood with its surface covered in papers and camera equipment. Secured onto the long brick wall next to the table was multiple shelves filled with camera bags and other equipment. A large office printer stood against the windows next to a large machine that had a long piece of paper hanging out of it. Another large machine stood across from it where stacks of shiny paper were placed on a wooden shelving unit next to it.

“The darkroom is over there,” Lisa pointed to a door at the farthest end of the office side then points to its the opposite side, “That’s where the fashion happens. Dressing rooms stocked with anything needed.”

“And the sets,” I ask, “You have almost everything here.”

Lisa nods, “When you enter from the elevator, there is a door to each side. One side is for large pieces like arches or letters. Big stuff, you know? In the other are accessories. I can make this place look like a living room or a club. I invested a lot in my studio.”

“You really don’t want to leave, huh,” I playfully say.

She smiles a bit sadly, “I don’t like being bothered. Open spaces still freak me out.”

“Oh,” I say lamely, “The accident…”

“Not really,” Lisa shrugs and nudges me to the office side of the room, “It’s more like I can control things here. If I had to go to one place, I would have to do things restricted to the guidelines the owner places. This way I can decide how to set things up. That’s why I make so many connections. The people know I won’t fuck up their place or things and I can work without restriction.”

“I see…”

“Okay well, here are some templates of shots I want to have of you,” Lisa hands me a stack of renderings from the table, “I had a guy I know make them for me to my exact liking. That’s how they will look when you get there...”

_She thinks of everything…_


	9. "Tell It Like It Is"

_She’s staring again…_

I peek up through my lashes to see the brunette staring at me with a deep look in her eyes. It reminds me of the shimmer I caught when I first met her. The deep look is intense and full of thoughts, I could see a fondness among the swirling flakes of light brown. I mentally shake my head and finish explaining to her the use of the printer she asked me about. 

“So that’s it,” I stand up fully, “It’s just a really big printer that details everything.”

“It must have cost a pretty penny,” Jennie mumbles as if to grasp at something to say, “It’s nice to see you like to do most things in house…”

“Yeah,” I grin and place my hand on the small of her back, “It comes in handy. I want to make sure every detail is in place before sending my work off. It represents me after all.”

Jennie licks her bottom lip slowly, so slowly that a pulse in my abdomen shocks me at its intensity, then nods up at me.

“Yeah, I get that.”

We walk back towards the long wood table. My hands move around the pictures on the tabletop until the heavy feeling of eyes cannot be ignored. I look up to my guest. For the millionth time today, our eye connect and an electric current passes between us. Her dark pools of brown electrify me to my bones. She moves forward, closer to me, and my hand twitches over the layer of her shirt. The hand I have on her back feels heated, almost as if I burned it on a hot pan but I don’t dare move it.

_“Beautiful…”_

“W-what,” Jennie blinks rapidly, “What did you say?”

I gulp harshly and dare to answer her, “Your eyes...they’re…they’re beautiful…”

Jennie’s eyes widen a fraction. Her soft creamy skin darkens into a full-body blush that tempts me to see how fully it reaches. My eyes move over her, from the tip of her cute ears, down her slim neck, and under the neckline of the designer shirt that she’s wearing with a dry feeling in my mouth. Jennie fairs no better. Her eyes sparkle with something hot that also manages to be timid and shy. The woman works her jaw, as if my admission froze her, then she licks her bottom lick again when she’s gathered her thoughts.

_That damn lip… It will be the death of me…._

“I-I,” she croaks, “I...thank you.”

“There's no need,” I whisper back to her, “I’m just stating facts.”

“F-facts,” she whispers back.

“Yes,” I give her a charming grin, “You’re a gorgeous woman, Jennie. Otherworldly even.”

Jennie scoffs and looks away, blush still present, “You’ve met and photographed dozens of models and all types of celebrities. I’m nothing stellar-”

“Everyone has their preferences,” I nod.

The woman turns back to me with a hurt look on her face. She opens her mouth to speak but I beat her to it.

“You’re mine.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You’re mine.”

_How can she say it like that!? Like she’s talking about something common or well known._

Lisa’s charming smile stays directed at me for a few seconds but upon seeing my shocked look, she backtracks.

“I’m sorry,” she looks away with a frown, “I’m overstepping. I shou-”

“No.”

The tall woman blinks owlishly at me, “What?”

“I don’t mind,” I bite my lip, “Mabe…tell me what you mean?” 

Lisa looks as if she had just been hit over the head with a large book, dazed and surprised. She looks around as if to find confirmation by someone not here. The woman looks down at her phone on the table then nods slowly before giving me her attention again.

“Y-you’re beautiful,” she stutters, “A-and I’m not just saying you’re beautiful in a visual way. N-not that you aren't! You’re a goddess! Uh. Yeah…a goddess…I can’t take my eyes off you. No, I meant you’re so beautiful all the time and every place. You have a cute laugh. Your smile makes little butterflies dance in my stomach and…. you’re just so smart! I can’t get over how easily you can talk about anything. We talked about politics then jumped to our vinyl collections and then wound up talking about your dogs. Rosie is the only other person I can talk so freely with and we’ve known each other half of our lives!” 

Lisa blushes, a large one that could give off heat waves, and gulps waiting for my answer. Truthfully, I don’t know what to say. Jisoo had been right about my growing feelings for the woman frozen in front of me. Since meeting her this past weekend, my head and heart had both been asking for when I’d see her again. My heat had pulled me with full emotion towards her while my mind could only agree and picture scenes of how it would be if we were together. Sometimes the pictures would crash down when I realized how difficult things would be but my heart would reassure me that I’ve made the right choice.

“I’m sorry Jennie,” Lisa says after I don’t answer, “I overstepped. I’m sorry. I’ll take you to your hotel. Just forget I said-”

“I can’t stop thinking about you,” I admit to her, “It’s like a broken record. The needle keeps trying to continue on but that damn scratch just doesn’t let it.”

“Jennie,” she frows her brows.

“I-I like you, Lisa.”

Lisa stays frozen in front of me. Her doe eyes search mine to see if I’m being honest. The traffic from downstairs can be heard faintly, surrounding us with some type of sound at this moment, but all I can hear right now is my heartbeat rushing in my ears. The photographer looks down at her phone again, working her jaw, before licking lips and looking up at me. My heart starts up again as if struck by lightning as the hand she has on my back pulls me to her. I’m slowly tugged to her until our spaced intermingle. My hips brush her’s and matching blushes fill out our cheeks. She tilts her face down, inches away from my own, and touches my forehead with mine. At this distance, I can count the number of light hazel swirling in her deep eyes. The little mole next to the corner of her eye looks as kissable as her plump lips.

“That’s good to know,” her sweet breath caresses my skin.

“Oh,” I raise a brow.

“Yeah,” Lisa nods, “That means I can do this.”

_Oh my god._

A shiver runs down my spine. My hands move without prompt up to cup her face in between them. I feel long fingers dance over my waistline teasingly and lovingly. Our breathing syncs together as our lips begin to move against each other. My eyes were not playing with me, her lips feel soft and plush against mine. Something I didn’t take into account, however, was how long her eyelashes were. The small hairs tickle my cheeks as she deepens the kiss just a bit. A moan leaves me when she playfully nips at my bottom lip, she doesn’t push further and instead pulls away with a final nip.

“Too much,” I ask breathlessly.

“It’s not that,” she giggles, “I just think I should at least ask you on a proper date before ravishing you on this table.”

I shiver again, “I am a lady…”

“A goddess,” she corrects before pecking my lips again, “So? Is that a yes?”

“To being ravished on the table or the date,” I laugh and pull away to properly see her, “I was planning on asking you first, to dinner tonight, but I suppose you beat me to it.”

“Oh really,” Lisa grins.

“Oh god! I thought you didn’t have a huge ego,” I laugh again then calm down, “But to be honest, Lisa, I’m surprised that Jisoo still answers my calls! All I’ve talked about these past days is how annoyingly cute you are! I keep talking about wanting to have touch you!”

Lisa takes in my shy expression from my small rant and simply tugs me closer. I’m pulled into another hug, very much like the embrace she had me that night and rubs her hands over my back softly. I sigh into her hug. The smell of vanilla and roses is strong on her so I greedily nuzzle into her cardigan to memorize the scent.

“I’m in the same boat,” she mumbles against my temple, “Rosie keeps telling me to just speak to you but my confidence keeps dragging me down.”

I pull away, “Confidence?”

“Well,” she rubs the back of her neck, “You’re a sexy celebrity living in a penthouse a thousand miles away. What would you want with me when you can just get an equally famous person in the same country you’re living in that could buy you an entire shopping district?”

A laugh leaves me, “Oh please! You’re _gorgous_ Lisa! I had to do a double-take when I first saw you! And as for fame and all that, I could care less. Sure it’ll be nice to parade you around on my arm, but I think the idea of having you all to myself is much better.”

“Territorial all ready, Miss Kim,” Lisa husks into my ear, “I think I like that.”

“Lisa,” I whimper as she nips the shell of my ear, “Please…”

“Sorry,” she pulls away and grins mischievously at me, “You’re just so cute with that blush on you.”

“Lisa.”

She laughs again, this time kissing my temple, then pulls away.

“So how about coming over to my place? You can see that record collection I have in person? I can make us some food and we can share some wine on my porch,” she offers shyly.

“That sounds,” _normal_ “Wonderful.”__

_ _\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_ _

_ _The ride to my home was nervewracking. I was nervous to show this goddess my humble home but I was also excited to shed another layer to her. It was odd, I admit, to show and tell her things I had no business to give up to others. It was as if the wall I had up to prevent anyone in had simply been a line on the sand instead of the ten-mile high concrete wall I had built. It was nice, to not give someone a distant friendship--a distant relationship. I suppose it’s because Jennie and I are very much alike. I just hope now that despite Rosie’s warning we’ll be able to make this work._ _

_ _I turn off the main street and into the thick forest of apartments and townhouses. My eyes glance at Jennie to see her sing along with the radio. She had insisted to listen to Western Music when I walked her to my car. One look at her puppy eyes and I was a goner. A part of me knew I was completely whipped for this woman. I supposed worse things could be wrong with me, being the lapdog of Asia’s Most Beautiful Female Celebrity is not one of them. _ _

_ _The streets start to slowly go up with the hill as we keep on driving. Just before reaching the Old Beverly Hills neighborhood, I turn onto a street filled with suburban two-story houses. The houses were much more expensive looking then the apartments we passed by earlier, they could even be considered estates with the size of land they were on. _ _

_ _“You live here,” Jennie asks in amazement, “It’s a nice neighborhood.”_ _

_ _I nod, “Yeah I do. My home was an abandoned estate for the past ten years or so. I bought it for a smaller price then it would have been had it not been in disrepair.”_ _

_ _“Disrepair,” the woman raises her brows, “You fixed it up?”_ _

_ _“Yes ma’am,” I nod again, “The roof was falling inside the building and the yard was a mess. I had to live in a hotel for a few months while I fixed things. I didn’t do the roof, that’s out of my expertise, but I did mostly everything else. I remodeled a ton of rooms and did some tile work. Once the bedroom and kitchen were done, I hired some guys to finish the house. They did everything exactly how I wanted.”_ _

_ _“Wow,” Jennie blinks, “That’s amazing.”_ _

_ _“Yeah,” I grin, “Here we are.”_ _

_ _Jennie’s eyes widen as we approach the house. The house was unlike the other houses on the streets around it. Unlike the other two or three-story houses, my home spread out and took over the majority of its land in a ranch house style. The ranch house was beautiful and reminded me of my grandparents’ home back in Thailand. The road leading to the back entrance was not paved and matched well with the rock accents that decorated the grey walls. The white windows were open so we could see as the lights turned on as I drove to my parking space, an automatic system I had placed to prevent me from running into something._ _

_ _“Its’ beautiful,” my date says with a smile, “I didn’t expect this.”_ _

_ _I shrug, “It’s big enough for when my mother visits. It has five rooms, my office and darkroom, a den, a sitting room, and a fully stocked kitchen. I had a shed build in the back to put in all the yard stuff and some pieces that don’t fit at work.”_ _

_ _Jennie nods at my ramble seriously. After I park next to my Jeep and bike, we make our way into the house from the kitchen entrance. I walk her to the left archway and into the den. The white plush carpet is thick enough to sink deep into the fabrics. A long comfy L-couch takes over the middle of the room across three large bay windows that have seating ledges filled with soft pillows. The wall adjacent to the archway was filled with shelves that stretched from floor to ceiling. I hear Jennie gasp as she takes in the shelves filled with records, CDs, and cassettes. A few pieces, a sighed Beatles album sitting next to a signed Elvis gold record, draw her in to go towards them. _ _

_ _I look over the shelves and smile to myself at how amazed she was at my belongings. Jennie looks over at my _Abbey Road_ then walks toward my most recent records. A clear record in a clear case is signed from Stephani with a heart in the corner sits in a holder next to a signed sleeve with a man in a circle or blue and pink. _ _

_ _Jennie gasps and looks at me, “Harry Styles?”_ _

_ _“You know of him,” I smirk playfully, “I didn’t peg you as a follower of reality competition shows…”_ _

_ _“Lisa,” she growls adorably, “You know him?”_ _

_ _“Yeah,” I laugh, “I took that picture.”_ _

_ _Jennie gawks then turns to the ones next to it, “You know _all_ of them?”_ _

_ _**“Yep,”** I pop the ‘p’ of the word, “They send me copies of their work that I was involved with. The only one that sent me more then that was Kahlid, he sent me both his disks”_ _

_ _“And the others,” she looked over the wall across from the couch._ _

_ _I turn to look at the third wall. Black frames hang all over in a random pattern on the wall. Some were clustered and others a long distance away from others, the only thing similar to them was the fact that they were all signed. In the center of the wall was a Motorola Console, natural wood finish, and in perfect condition after it’s restoration. The record rack sitting on top of it held a few of the favorites that I like to play the most. _ _

_ _“They made their way to me,” I walk to the record player, “Sometimes I meet a friend of them and they hear me play a song from the album. They get back to me after my work with a job opportunity or the album as a gift. Sometimes I find them in the record shops spread on Vine or even the tourist traps on the Boulevard. I had to bid on a few of the older ones, the Beatles and Prince ones were a bit on the high side but you never know when you’ll find them again.”_ _

_ _I take out an album from the middle and slip out the record. I flip it in my hand to the side I want and then lift the cover off the record side of the console. The spinner is empty so I place the record in and gently hit the button for it to start moving. I feel Jennie come to stand next to me as the record spins. Gentle music begins to play and I look up to Jennie. The woman looks amazed at the record before turning to me. The disk starts its first song, immersing us in the heavenly music. The sound is crisp and could be confused as having the artist and full band in front of us. _ _

_ _ _ **If you want something to play with** _  
_ **Go and find yourself a toy** _  
_ **Baby, my time is too expensive** _  
_ **And I'm not a little boy** _ _ _

_ _Jennie’s eyes soften just like they did in my studio. The soulful eyes glisten with emotions. I smile at her, the most peaceful and loving one I can produce, and I offer her my hand. Jennie looks down at it then gently places her smaller one in mine. I tug her to the space between the coffee table and the minibar that’s against the back wall. I pull her against me, my right hand on the small of her back and the other holding the one she gave. We slowly start dancing in my den, eyes not leaving each other as Aaron Neville croons around us._ _

_ _ _ **Life is too short to have sorrow** _  
_ **You may be here today and gone tomorrow** _  
_ **You might as well get what you want** _  
_ **So go on and live, baby, go on and live** _ _ _

_ _Jennie’s scent was just as addicting as it was that night. It’s womanly yet sweet, just like her. Her small frame fits in my arms just right as I lead her in the back and forth sway. Her amazed look slowly morphed into a girlish grin that I could only compare to those of a happy teenager at a school dance. My heat twitches as if on fire as she reaches up to circle her arms around my neck and hides her face against my collar bone. My hands settle on the small of her neck, the action draws a puff of her hitched breath against my skin._ _

_ _The song changes but we don’t stop moving. Jennie somehow pulls us closer together. I tilt my head and rest my cheek on the top of her head. The silky scent of her expensive shampoo reaches my nose and makes me smile like a madwoman. My eyes close as the words wrap around my heart. _ _

_ _ _ **I fall in love too easily** _  
_ **I fall in love too fast** _  
_ **I fall in love too terribly hard** _  
_ **For love to ever last** _ _ _

_ _ _ **My heart should be well-schooled** _  
_ **'Cause I've been fooled** _  
_ **In the past** _  
_ **And still I fall in love too easily** _  
_ **I fall in love too fast** _ _ _

_ _“Frank Sinatra,” Jennie whispers against my skin._ _

_ _“Is there any other version,” I giggle._ _

_ _“Nope,” I feel her grin._ _

_ _The orchestra picks up the song before Old Blue Eyes starts singing again. Jennie pulls away, scaring me into thinking I did something bad, only to kiss my cheek gently._ _

_ _“It’s my favorite,” she tells me, “My parents love it. I used to sneak out of my room and to the family room. I caught them dancing to it once, on their anniversary. That’s how I caught them every year, dancing to their song.”_ _

_ _“They must love each other very much,” I whisper back to her, “My parents are like that too. I’ve always envied them…”_ _

_ _Jennie hums and another song begins. The soulful guitar chords sing along with the crooning singer. I pull away and bring Jennie with me to the minibar against the wall. The small cabinet opens forward showing us the dozen wine bottles that I adore the most. I pull out my favorite red and two wine glasses. The dark liquid fills each glass cleanly. After closing the doors, keeping the bottle on top of the cabinet, I take both glasses and swirl the liquid. _ _

_ _“Hungry yet,” I ask handing her the fully aired out wine._ _

_ _Jennie smiles and takes the glass, “A little…”_ _

_ _The woman takes a sip then places the glass next to the bottle. I raise a brow as she faces me and gives me a look. In a flash, a manicured hand grabs my cardigan and pulls me down. Our lips meet and the heavens part to reveal a choir serenading us._ _

_ _ _ **I don't even know how to love you** _  
_ **Just the way you want me to** _  
_ **But I'm ready, to learn** _  
_ **Yes, I'm ready, to learn** _  
_ **To fall in love, to fall in love, to fall in love with you** _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you that want the songs' info:
> 
> Tell It Like It Is--Aaron Neville
> 
> I Fall In Love Too Easily--Frank Sinatra
> 
> Yes. I'm Ready--The Originals


	10. "Someone to Share it With"

Lisa cooks dinner, which is sweet except for one thing: Lisa can’t cook to save her life. Even though the pasta is slightly uncooked and the bread is a little too burnt, I still eat the food she serves me. It isn’t until she takes a bite of her own food that she quickly rushes forward and takes my plate along with hers that I see her blush for the first time.

It was adorable watching her flustered and embarrassed as she proceeds to throw the food into the trash and the dishes in the washer. She quickly pulled out an array of menus, enough to fit in another three-inch binder like her photos, and picks the closest Italian place to call from. The food arrived quickly after that. I supposed having Lisa as a repeat customer has its perks.

A wonderful discovery during dinner was when Lisa offered we watch a movie while eating is that she is a very tactile person. She pulled me close to her, almost sitting on her lap, and kept her hand in mine. Despite not being left-handed she managed to eat with it and not spill any food on either one of us. She talks with her hands and at times she reaches out and touches my forearm of my knee, something that I do too when I get off on a topic. The best part was when she finished first and put her arm around my shoulders on top of the back of the couch and pulled me into her side to cuddle into her. Her vanilla and sunlight scent was more intriguing to me than the coupe’s slow-burn romance on-screen. Some time into the movie Lisa discovered my conflicting interest and decided to do something about it.

“Lisa,” I groan against her lips, “You’re such a good kisser.”

She hums with a little smirk, “That’s all you, babe.”

I giggle as she slowly trails down kisses starting from my cheek to under my jaw. My joy turns into wildfire arousal when she open-mouth kisses down my throat and nip at my collarbone when she gets there. I shiver in ecstasy when she slowly nibbles at my skin, just a millimeter above my shirt’s collar, releasing hot puffs of air on my sensitive skin.

“Lisa,” I groan again, “Please…”

“I can’t,” she whispers, placing another kiss, “You have to go back to your hotel room.”

“Please,” I hiss, another nip at my skin.

“We can’t.”

“Lisa,” I groan, “Stop then.”

“I don’t think I can,” she kisses the base of my throat again, “You smell so good. You _taste_ so good.”

“Fuck,” I sigh.

The release of my curse fires off an almost desperate reaction from Lisa. She groans as if in pain and pulls me into another heavy desperate kiss. Lisa’s strong hands pull me to sit on her lap, pulling us as close together as she can. Her hands pull at my hips making us come closer, almost as if wishing that our clothes disintegrate around us. Her lips move passionately against mine making my toes curl. Long fingers make their way into my hair, gentle but strong and unyielding. I melt in her arms when she starts kissing down my neck again, open mouth kisses to soothe the nips on my skin.

I run my hands up her shoulders coming to stop at the back of her neck. The little strands of baby hairs sitting there twirl around my fingertips and I pull gently on them as a response to her nibbles on my skin. The nail on the coffin happens when she tilts my head up to drag her front teeth down my neck then soothing the sharp pass by kissing just at the tip under my chin. The reaction I have is so strong that I allow a moan to leave my lips, one that only I have ever produced in private nights of passion alone in my room.

"We have to stop," Lisa groans, kissing my temple sweetly, "If we don't stop, I'll have you right here."

"What's so bad about that," I tighten my hold around her neck.

"We have work tomorrow and I'm sure people will notice a few things about us. One being the massive love bites I'd decorate you with," she says with a low seductive voice, "And the ones I'm sure you'd do the same to me."

I groan, "Stop teasing then."

Lisa laughs, "I'm sorry, love."

I blush and bury my face against her neck. Lisa's right-hand moves away from my hair and down to my hip. She moves us a bit until I'm sitting comfortably on her lap. My arms wrap around her neck and I breathe in deeply her scent.

"I want to show you something," she says hesitantly, "But I think you might think I'm a creep."

"Why would I think that," I say pulling away to look up at her.

"I just think you will," she shrugs with a charming smile, "Come on."

"Lisa!"

The woman laughs as she carries me bridal-style deeper into her home. We pass by the den and a bedroom until we reach an office. I stare in wonder when she drops me into the bright yellow settee that is across from the large black hardwood desk and office chair in the room.

The room is large and has windows behind the desk allowing sunlight to bathe the room during the day. There are black shelves full of photographing equipment on the ones closest to a door leading somewhere and the other binders and books. On each shelf there are small trinkets, from her travels I assume, that sperate sections and somehow tie into the golden glow that the yellow room has. Behind the desk are decorated shelves with old equipment that looked to be part of the larger collection Lisa has around her home.

"This way," she points to the door.

I follow her silently to the room only to be surprised when the light inside is red and the room is tiled with white squares. It must be her darkroom because she has lines of twine hanging all around the room, high enough to pin developing photos without touching one another.

"Here it is."

I peer over her shoulder to the metal table she's at. On the table are stacks of developed film and rolls of film in canisters. I catch sight of some of our work from a day ago and a few from our first lunch date but what makes my jaw drop is the picture she has in her hand. It's a picture of a petite woman wearing a short white dress that pools around her as she sits in the back of a black SUV. She smiles at the young man that is facing away from the camera as he closes the door.

I take the spot next to her and take the picture from her hand. I gasp as the picture underneath is revealed. In this one the girl is caught mid-laugh, the car door closed, shot zoomed in so she's taking up the majority of the frame.

"When," I whisper.

"The day before I met you," Lisa whispers back, "I went to Balboa Park. I go there when I'm feeling stuck here. I was planning on going home to Thailand to see my parents, they moved back a few years ago, but I was sent to do your shoot. I went to the rose garden like I always do to take pictures of the flowers when I heard someone singing."

"Singing," I gasp and look up at her, "You were there?"

Lisa hums, "I was. I saw you and it was like I was knocked out into outer space. I couldn't breathe. My mind stayed still. I couldn't keep my eyes off you. You had me in such a trance that I tried to follow you out of the garden. You were too fast so all I got were these two pictures."

"That's why you were so bashful when we met," I smile softly.

"Bashful," she scoffs, "I was a total gentlewoman."

Her playfully offended look makes my heart squeeze. I lean up and kiss her cheek, feeling heat collect under my lips. She sighs and bites her lip when I pull away. I swoon as she takes me into another loving embrace and kisses me softly inside her safe space.

\------------------------------------------------------

Lisa drives almost at a snail's pace back to my hotel, not wanting to leave me just yet. Her left-hand holds onto the steering wheel loosely while the other rests on my lap holding onto my smaller one. My eyes don't leave her for a second, wanting to enjoy this quiet moment with her. The car interior smells like her and so does the sweater she allowed me to borrow when I ended up not finding my jacket. I run my right hand down the front of my sweater then place it over our entwined hands.

"Do you want me to walk you up?"

"Yes please," I say with a small frown.

"Hey," Lisa sighs, "I'll see you tomorrow. Bright and early."

"I know but," I bite my lip, "I really want you to stay."

"I-"

Can't stay," I finish for her, "Yeah, I know. But it doesn't change my mind."

Lisa smirks but stays quiet. It's easy enough to get inside the hotel. She parks near the entrance, close enough to the hidden door that I was taken in when I arrived. We go up through the elevator, holding hands and glancing bashfully at each other. The hallway is empty when we reach the penthouse suites so we continue to take our time. 

My mind debates on my next actions but when I remember our make out on her couch a bout of bravery fills me. The door is finally in front of us and I turn around to lean against it. Lisa leans forward, trapping me against the door with her forearm above my head.

We stare at each other, electricity passing between us. I feel myself fall deeper for Lisa as my eyes read her dark sexy eyes. I see strong emotion: passion, lust, tenderness, amusement, and content. I'm sure mine are just as talkative. Lisa leans forward just a bit more and places her forehead against mine. My breath hitches when she smiles her golden smile at me. The mood turns sour when her wristwatch chimes that the eleventh hour has arrived.

"This is it," she sighs finally, "I really did enjoy your company, Miss Kim."

I bite my lip and nod, "I did too, Miss Manoban."

Lisa smirks and looks around in the hallway. I make my move then and grab onto her shirt pulling her to me. She gasps but I cover it with my lips against hers. My left-hand slips into my pocket, grabbing the key card from inside, while the other pulls Lisa further into a furious kiss. Our lips move achingly slowly against each other, savoring each other's taste. The taste of the mint gum she had been chewing on the way here along with a taste of her lip balm lingers on my tongue. Her hands move forward and grab me by the waist to pull me close to her. She groans against my lips and the key card slides through the reader. I twist the knob and push the door open, pulling the Thai woman inside with me. 

There is no space between us and nothing stopping us from fulfilling our desi-

"Jendukie you're-Oh my God! My innocent eyes!"

I pull away in a surprise, feeling Lisa jump away and into the doorknob. She hisses and holds onto her side, a sharp pain pulsing at her side. Turning around I stare like a teenager caught out past curfew at my unexpected guests. The raven-haired woman smirks at me from her seat at the luxurious sitting room. My eyes focus on my best friend as she smirks with amusement at catching me red-handed.

"Hi, kids," Jisoo-unnie crosses her arms with a shit-eating grin.

"Jisoo," I stomp, "What the hell?!"

She laughs, "I said I was coming, didn't I?"

"Yes but-"

"Fuck! My side!"

"Lisa!"

I turn to my girl and see her still holding onto her side with scrunched up eyes. I pull her hand away and lift her shirt a little. My heart jolts at the sight of tight abs and sunkissed skin but I press on. There’s a red spot on her left side. She most likely ran into the doorknob when we jumped apart. My fingers run over the tender area, brushing against the waistband of her jeans and a thin strip of red that most likely was her-

"Whoa, I don't want any part of this!"

I ignore my friend and touch gently at the area Lisa was holding. She releases a not sexual groan and places her head on my shoulder.

"Thanks," she sighs, "Do you have any ice?”

“Yes, come here and sit down,” I guide her to sit at the long sofa Jisoo is at.

Lisa groans under her breath as we walk her to her seat. Jisoo is still all smiles but she moves closer to the younger woman and looks her over.

“Damn, Lisa,” she giggles, “You could have just thrown yourself out of the window instead.”

I roll my eyes and walk to the kitchenette, “Most people aren’t scared to death by an unannounced weirdo.

“Most people would be happy to have a famous Idol-model-actress in their hotel room,” Jisoo counters.

“Most people have a working side abdominal muscle,” Lisa heaves.

“I’m sorry, baby,” I run quickly back to her with ice in a kitchen towel, “Jisoo is a crazy stalker lady that likes to drop in.”

“I’m just repaying the favor,” the oldest laughs, “Remember that time when you came to see me in Ja-”

“Don’t remind me,” I shiver, “I still can’t look at Se-hun oppa without remembering him wearing Spongebob underwear.”

This brings out a burst of laughter from Lisa, “You walked in on her with a dude?”

“Not the first time either,” my best friend crosses her arms again, “At least now I can get her back for all those times.”

I glare at her and Jisoo smirks again. Lisa raises her shirt again when I reach her to allow me to place the ice on her bruised side. I’m almost on top of her again as I hold the cold substance against her. I glance up and jump slightly at seeing her already staring at me. Her doe eyes have mirth in them and longing too. I bite my lip playfully, trying to hold back a laugh from this ridiculous moment.

“Thank you,” Lisa says and kisses my forehead, “Best nurse ever.”

“Is she going to kiss it to make it better?”

“JISOO!”

_I hate that woman sometimes._

Lisa sighs and looks down at my hands. The redness is gone and so is any hope that she will stay the night with me.

“I should get going,” my girl sighs sadly, “It’s almost half an hour and I need as much sleep as I can get. I have a diva to deal with in the morning.”

Jisoo snorts, “Sounds like a nightmare.”

“Shut up,” I tell them both, my hands pull away from Lisa, “Let me put this in the sink and I’ll walk you out.”

I quickly deal with the ice and come back to them. When I come back Jisoo is blushing slightly while Lisa has a satisfied smirk on her face. I raise a brow in question but Lisa just coughs and stands up. I take this as a ‘ask her when I’m gone’ then follow her to the door. We’re back by the killer door, Lisa leaning against the frame and I holding the door open to close behind her. We stare at each other for a long moment then I take a chance and stretch up to kiss Lisa goodbye. She smiles into it, squeezing my side gently.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Jennie,” Lisa whispers, “Would you like to go eat at Rosie’s after? I’m sure your bigheaded friend would love to see her again.” 

Realization comes to me and I grin with a nod, “That’s perfect. I’ll see you tomorrow. Thank you for tonight. I had an amazing time.” 

"No, thank you, Miss Kim," she smiles charmingly, she looks over my shoulder and waves, "See you later, Jisoo!"

Jisoo waves back, "See you later monkey!"

And with that Lisa pecks my cheek and leaves me with a very smirky Turtle Rabbit. I roll my eyes and closer the door. Despite the annoying guest I have, I still manage to float to the spot next to her. I sigh dreamily and relax into the soft cushions. 

“So, was it worth it,” Jisoo asks with a knowing smile.

I look her over for the first time since her arrival. She’s wearing a baggy black band t-shirt, the _Wallows_, and has soft sleeping shorts that can barely be seen front the long length. There’s a trace of a red mark near the collar of her shirt and a distinct smell of roses and pastries. I smirk at the signals, making Jisoo shift just a bit at my eyes being on her.

“Did you see Rosie before getting here,” I giggle.

“I don’t kiss and tell,” she smiles back, “You do that, not me.”

I scoff, “Sure. Let’s pretend we’re different. I see that satisfied smile on you, Jisoo.”

“I can’t hide anything from you,” Jisoo says finally, laying her head back, “Yeah. I did. God, I didn’t know how much I missed her until she cornered me against her desk and started kissing me.”

“What are you going to do,” I hum.

“I,” she pauses, “I think this proves that we’re soulmates because I’m going crazy like you.”

“You want her,” I sit up, now invested, “I thought you said you don’t want to tie yourself to someone.”

“She’s just,” another pause, “She’s just different.”

“It’s worth it,” I answer the question she gave me, “It’s so worth it that I’ll take all the bad media and criticism as long as she can hold me at the end of the day like she just did.”

Jisoo sighs, “At least now we don’t have to order in or take each other’s pictures for Instagram.”

The answer she gives me shocks me so much I start laughing loudly. Jisoo joins in and I finally feel that something Lisa said everyone is searching for. 

_Someone to share it with._


	11. "It ain't karaoke night but ..."

Time is the only thing the Universe gives us that is certain. Life isn’t certain, it can be taken. Success has to be earned not gifted. Luck is circumstantial and very rare. Time is the only thing we get to use on our side. I never knew that in a short amount of it I would be secretly dating a Korean Pop Star after shortly meeting her. It’s a trippy thing to think about but I’m usually too busy to think about it. I have better things on my mind.

My eyes look away from the clouds and over to the woman above me. The sun creates a golden halo around the angel that I have my head on. Her soft left-hand runs through my locks with mindless care as she reads a thick script. I watch as her dark yet bright eyes twinkle with a fascination with the plot as well as the happiness of such a simple moment we’re in. Jennie looks every part of a goddess, untouchably beautiful with her simpleness. I could look at her all day…

“What are you doing?”

I blink, brought out of my inner monologue, “What?”

“What are you doing,” she repeats herself but this time looking down at me.

“Staring at a piece of heaven that was left here on earth,” I say dreamily with a lovestruck grin.

Jennie scoffs and rolls her eyes, “So cheesy.”

“Not cheesy,” I shake my head, “Romantic.”

“Romantic,” she smirks, “I don’t know. It sounds very cheesy to me.”

“You make me cheesy,” I counter, “You make me say things that I never thought I could. You broke me for anyone else, Jennie Kim.”

Jennie shakes her head, a little blush tinting her soft cheeks. I smile happily at her reaction. She looks down at me then. Her eyes look at me over then she smiles.

“You should cut your hair.”

“Cut my hair,” I raise a brow, “I haven’t had it short since secondary school.”

“How short,” she asks.

“Pretty short,” I look away to think, “A pixie cut almost?”

“No,” Jennie shakes her head and runs her fingers through my hair again, “A bob. You’d look cute in a bob. Maybe dye it black too? Your hair is black originally? Right?”

“Yes,” I nod, “It’s black. But why should I?”

  
“You’d look like Cleopatra,” Jennie smiles, “Regal and hip. You’d make everyone’s jaw drop when you’d enter a room.”

“You want me to look sexy for you, Miss Kim,” I smirk at her.

“Of course,” she grins cheekily, “I need a cutie on my arm to complete the picture. I am Korea’s It Girl after all.”

I laugh, “Oh really?”

“Yes. So I need a queen to match me,” she teases lending forward.

I lean closer, a breath away, “You might have to convince me, your highness.”

“You can keep the bangs,” she whispers then closes our distance.

Our lips move lovingly against each other, each caress as delicate as a flower petal. Her gloss sticks to my skin and I feel a little shiver at the sensation. My hands move towards her, cupping her cheek and running my thumb over her soft skin. I suddenly feel as if a million eyes are one me and the realization that here guards are watching us hits me like a baseball bat over the head. I begin to pull away but she groans and closes the gap again.

“I don’t care,” she whispers against my lips, “I would give up a thousand thrones just to have you with me.”

“Who’s being cheesy now,” I snicker and pull away.

She pouts, lip corners twitching, “I’m a writer. It’s in my DNA to write poetry about beautiful things.”

“I’m not good at words,” I sigh, “But I’m good at showing.”

“That I do know,” she giggles with a twinkle in her eyes, “I found a little mark on my neck when I got ready this morning.”

It’s my turn to blush, “Sorry.”

“It's okay,” she wraps her arms around my neck, “I found it very sexy.”

“Miss Jennie.”

We look up and see Jennie’s manager walking towards us with a small blush on his face. I smirk at my girl and she scoffs and rolls her eyes. I turn back to the sketchbook I have in my hands and go through the few pages I used. The first page was filled with cat-like eyes that have emotions ranging from fierce to tender. The second page is littered with small outlines of Jennie, prep for what the third and final page has. On the third page, taking up most of the space, is my attempt at a sketch of Jennie reading the script she had against the tree we are against.

“What’s that?”

I blink and look up to the pop star. Jennie’s manager had left, obviously finished with the conversation they had, leaving us alone for the moment. My eyes widen and I look down at my sketchbook. Jennine, being the genius woman that she is, snatches it from me and begins to look through it.

“JENNIE!”

She giggles at my flushed cheeks, enjoying the torture she is dishing when she stops at a page. I look away in an attempt to hide from her but it doesn’t work. Jennie looks up and stares at me with a loaded look.

“I’m not that good,” I try to explain, “I-”

“What can’t you do,” she asks breathlessly, “I want a list of things you can’t do so I can know you’re human.”

Another blush fills my cheeks making me look away. My avoidance is futile as a small soft hand tilts my head back to the short woman. A beautiful smile pulls at her lips and my eyes automatically go to the half-dimple she has on her right cheek. Instead of saying anything, I lean forward to press a long kiss at the spot.

“I can’t resist you,” I whisper against her ear, “Please use that information wisely, Miss Kim.”

The woman smiles even larger, eyes squinted slightly, and my hands move on their own. Jennie giggles against my ear as I bring her to sit on my lap while I lean against the large tree. She buries her face against my chest and sighs dreamily. Birds nearby chirp with glee while cars passing by can be heard but not seen. The warm sun shines through the treetops creating a fairytale light surrounding us. If I could have the ability to take a picture of this moment I would but all I could do right now is enjoy the moment. I’m happy doing so.

“So what did he want,” I mumble.

“It’s almost time for lunch,” Jennie murmurs back, “We’re meeting the girls for lunch right?”  
  


“Yes,” I nod, “At Rosie’s. Then since it’s the weekend we usually go to the karaoke bar. You wanna go?”

“Sure,” she nods, “It’s been a while since Jisoo and I went out together-”

“And and an impromptu double date is the perfect time to do both,” I tease, “Babe, just so you know the place we’re going is different than what you’re used to.”

“How different can they be?”

\-------------------------------------

_Very differnt, apperntly._

After enjoying a wonderful lunch made personally by Rosanne Park, we made our way out of the CityWalk’s shops. Lisa spearheaded the trip by racing neck-to-neck against her sister in her own sports car. We reach the back streets of Sunset Blvd and take a few hidden roads until we reach a long stretch of road that had a sketchy vibe to it. Lisa finds a parking spot and Rosie take the one behind her on the curb. Jisoo and I share a look as they call a guy nearby to watch over their vehicles.

We cross the street and walk a short distance until the empty street turns busy and long lines of colorful people buzz in and out of bars and clubs. The concrete street suddenly turns star-studded, The Walk of Fame’s less known stars only appreciated by this crowd at night. There are rainbow flags waving around along with posters of social causes and pending elections. Its a very hipster looking ambiance but very friendly and light compared to those heavy-set ways I’ve come across in New York.

“Here we are,” Lisa tells us, “Let’s get in before the crowd arrives.”  
  


My eyes widen as I take in the entrance. An archway made out of lights leads upstairs to a metal staircase that had lights decorating it as well. Large lighted letters spelling CAMELOT hang from the archway. Lisa holds onto my hand and leads me up the stairs while Rosie takes Jisoo as well and follows. The stairs rise above the street to the third floor, with no entrance to the second except for an emergency escape. We enter through a set of gilded double doors and stare in awe at the old school Hollywood vibe it has.

Red curtain walls with golden lighting fixtures litter the walls. A large archway is carved into the wall the stage is sitting on. A bright light shines down on the center while the curtains hiding the stagehands is off and allows us to see the brick wall and props. The room is filled with glossy black tables and velvet-covered booths. On the right is a live band sitting on a small stage while opposite to them is the long bar, both framing the stage perfectly.

“They use this for Drag shows or Burlesque performances,” Rosie explains as we take the closest booth to the stage, “On their nights off they have open mics and Karaoke nights. We come here once in a while when we need to de-stress. Are we all going on?”

Lisa grins at her sister, “You and I? Duh. These two just came to see the show.”

“Yes,” Jisoo snickers, “We’re here to be entertained.”  
  


Rosie nods and heads over to a man sitting by the bar holding a small journal. Lisa watches her go then looks around for a waitress. Somehow a tall statuesque blonde catches her eyes from across the room. I watch with a brewing annoyance as the woman prances her way to Lisa’s side.

“Hello there sugar,” the woman croons, “How can I help you?”

Jisoo turns to me with a twitching smile. I huff and look away, staring at the scene in front of us.

“Hi Jackie,” Lisa grins, “How's the kid doing? Isn’t tonight your night off?”

“Great,” the woman smiles, “Buddy is being a pain in the ass though, he’s starting middle school soon and he’s already planning on getting on the soccer team. Which leaves me to take a few extra shifts to buy his cleats and uniform.”

“You know my offer still stands,” Lisa hums.

_What offer?_

“It’s okay Lisa,” Jackie sighs, “I’m making do with what I make and the child support Micheal sends. Enough about my troubles, what liquid sin do you need?”

Lisa looked over at us then back at the woman, “Something sweet for us? A bin of craft beer too please.”

“Got it,” the woman nods and pulls out her notepad, “I’ll be back. You want some peanuts of nachos?”  
  


“A little bit of everything,” my photographer smiles, “Add some wings too. Two variety platters.”

“On it,” the woman says and walks towards the bar and hidden kitchen.

“Who was that,” I ask the second the woman leaves.

“Oh,” Lisa shrugs, “Jackie. She works here and gives us discounts. She’s an actress and I’ve helped her get a few jobs. After the last one, she won’t let me help her get another. She’s a single mom and wants to do things her own way. I respect it but I can’t help ask her every time I see her. She’s always nice to us here.”  
  
“Green-eyed monster,” Jisoo snickers.

I glare at her and Lisa smiles.

“Don’t worry babe,” she pulls me into her side, “You’re the only starlet I have eyes for.”

I blush and grin at her words. Jisoo rolls her eyes but before she can say anything her chef comes to sit next to her, pulling her into a similar embrace as we are. I stick out my tongue at her and Jisoo huffs. Lisa snickers next to my ear then kiss my temple.

“You guys are cute,” she whispers.

“Thank you,” Jisoo says with an air of arrogance.

The night progresses and the bar becomes full of people of all kinds. The waitstaff is full of work and the stage is being used by all the patrons. We’ve been here for an hour before Lisa and Rosie are called up. Rosie stands up and kisses Jisoo on her cheek before pulling Lisa from me.

“Good luck,” I wave at them as they leave.

“Just don’t let a fly in your mouth,” she taunts.

“Don’t count on it,” Jisoo cuts in then turns to me once they’re gone, “You said they were going to audition for JYP?”

“Yes, they were. Lisa sang for me once. She sings like an angel,” I sigh dreamily, “I expect the same from Rosie. So I expect a performance from them, not a goofy cover.”

“Well, Rose sings like a goddess,” Jisoo smiles, “She can hit high notes no problem.”

“How-” I pause, “Never mind.”

My friends laugh loudly at my blush. I roll my eyes and turn to the stage again. Lisa looks small in comparison to the large stage but her sunny disposition makes it easy to only focus on her. Rosie on the other hand looks so excited she could bounce off the walls. She catches sight of us and waves before tugging at Lisa’s shirt and points at us. My girl grins and winks at me as the music starts. A piano starts playing and Rosie opens her mouth.

** _Hello, hello, baby_ **

** _You called, I can't hear a thing_ **

** _I have got no service_ **

** _In the club, you see, see_ **

** _Wha-wha-what did you say?_ **

** _Oh, you're breaking up on me_ **

** _Sorry, I cannot hear you_ **

** _I'm kinda busy_ **

“Oh my god,” Jisoo laughs, “They’d totally wipe the floor with all the trainees back home!”

“I told you,” I say proudly.

Lisa comes in on the chorus and like magic they start going back and forth, ignoring the lyrics behind them. The room turns into a roaring echo as Lisa starts dancing to the song with ease, her dancing root shining at that moment. Rosie dancing just as seductively next to her waves at Jisoo with a wink. We share a look between us, blushes on our cheeks, and hearts beating at the two seductresses we've fallen for. 

The two performers sound amazing with each other, despite the uniqueness of their voices. The song no longer belongs to Mother Monster and Queen Bee, at this moment it belongs to Lisa and Rosie. Lisa sturts forward as Rosie finishes the chorus by herself this time. My jaw drops as Lisa takes over the verse with the ease of a practiced rapper.

** _Boy the way you blowing up my phone_ **

** _Won't make me leave no faster_ **

** _Put my coat on faster_ **

** _Leave my girls no faster_ **

** _I should've left my phone at home_ **

** _'Cause this is a disaster_ **

** _Calling like a collector_ **

** _Sorry, I cannot answer_ **

The song continues on, making the whole room shake with energy and singing drunkards. Jisoo is jamming out next to me, bobbing her head to the beat. I laugh at her lip-syncing to Rosie’s voice and follow her along mirroring Lisa’s. It's the most fun we both had in a long time together. The song comes to the end with a loud cheer of an encore. The girls look at each other than at us. Jisoo and I turn to each other with wide eyes as Rosie jumps off the stage while Lisa goes to talk to the manager.

“Come on,” the chef huffs out, “It’s fun. Just one song?”

“All of us,” Jisoo asks, “We’ve never sung together before. Why would you think we-”

“Just trust me,” Rose cuts her off, “It’ll work. I just know it. Jennie?”

I look at them both then up to Lisa. She’s watching from up there with a small smile on her face. Her posture is relaxed as she shrugs as if to say it's okay either way. I look at Jisoo and smile.

“Come on Miss Korea,” I tug at her hand, “It’s been a while since we’ve been in a group. I hope you can harmonize as well as before. Are you afraid you lost your ear?”

“Oh you’re _on _Jendukie,” she shouts and takes Rose’s hand, “You better sing the high notes too!”

I laugh and follow the couple up the stairs to the stage. Loud cheers accompany us and fill the room when they see us four on the stage. I turn to Lisa and she takes my hand in hers.

“Ready,” she asks.

“I’m ready,” I grin.

A guitar rift sounds suddenly and Rosie struts forward with a seductive stride.

** _Sure she got a body like an hourglass_ **

** _But I can give it to you all the time_ **

** _Sure she got a booty like a Cadillac_ **

** _But I can send you into overdrive_ **

On cue we all jump on after those lines, Jisoo harmonizing to her Rosie and Lisa taking a deeper tone to mine before we all start the chorus in harmony. The room goes crazy as Jisoo takes the next verse with me adding ad-libs in an addition to Rosie’s high backup notes. The song takes a mind of its own, each of us three taking over the song at parts until the rap verse starts and Lisa comes in with ease at changing a few words.

** _Queen Lili dominant, prominent_ **

** _It's Jisoo, Jennie, and Rosie_ **

** _If they test me, they sorry_ **

** _Ride [t]his like a Harley_ **

** _Then pull off in [t]his Ferrari_ **

** _If he hanging we banging_ **

** _Phone ringing, he slanging_ **

** _It ain't karaoke night but get the mic 'cause I'm singing_ **

It’s been a long time since I sang in a group and even longer than I sang with people I actually enjoyed singing with. The last group I sang was with the girls that would form Twice and even then we still had problems syncing together. But here and now, singing with my best friend and with our sort-of-girlfriends made all those times from the past look like child’s play. Jisoo always had my back when we sang but Rosie somehow knew when a note of mine needed an extra push. Lisa knew when an ad-lib was needed and how to hype both us and the crowd. Having those two working with us made it seem like we had always sung together. We just clicked somehow.

The song ends with a shared note from all of us and the room once again erupts in loud cheers. We look at each other and grin and laugh at what just happened. Rosie pulls Jisoo into an embrace and calls over her with a laugh-filled voice.

“I told you to trust me!”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**MEANWHILE**....


	12. Right Here, Right Now

“Oh my god,” I sigh with a grin, “What a night.”

Lisa laughs, “Yeah. It was so much fun.”

I look at her and nod, “Yeah. I can’t believe we sang a ton of songs after that first one!”

The woman laughs again, “I’m not surprised. We sound amazing together. We might have stayed all night if it weren't for your horny friend.”

I roll my eyes, “Jisoo said something about Rosie’s high note before you got on stage. I’m assuming she was thinking about it all night.”

Lisa scrunches her nose cutely, “Eww. I didn’t want to know that.”

“Too bad,” I smirk, “If I get to suffer then so do you.”

The blonde rolls her eyes and starts the car, “Well at least we know why they ditched us now.”

I nod to her but don’t comment. The white sports car hums alive, waiting for Lisa to finish sending her goodnight text to her best friend. Lisa puts her phone down and shifts the car to drive, carefully pulling out of the parking space and into the road. Her left-hand goes to the top of the steering wheel after a few seconds and drops her right hand on her lap. I smile to myself and pull her unoccupied hand to my lap. She smiles, eyes still on the road, as I intertwine our fingers in a loose hold. Her hand is larger than mine, almost eclipsing it yet not large enough to make mine feel as if it's being swallowed. I can feel some rough patches on her palm and see a few small scars on her skin. My heart begs to ask how they each came to be but at the same time my heart quiets it down with the promise of having enough time with Lisa to hear the stories naturally.

“Your place isn’t that far,” she mumbles, “I hope we didn’t push you too much. We have our final shoot tomorrow.”

I sigh, remembering the past week I had spent with her. Ever since our diner date, we would make our way to her home and enjoy the evening. Lisa had offered me to stay with her but knowing that anyone could be watching had me deny her each time. Her cute disappointed face never failed to make my heart tug but after a thorough make-out session at my suite’s door each night, she would walk to her car with a dazed look on her face.

“I want to keep seeing you,” I whisper with a little bravery from the protection the darkness provides, “I liked spending time with you all this week. What am I going to do when you’re not around?”

“You’re welcome to come and visit me,” she says with a childish grin, “I have the next two weeks off before I have to tend to your shots. We can meet up when you’re free or you can come here. I don’t mind. I know we can’t be seen too much but I’m really sneaky if you need me to be.”

“We’ll see then,” I say diplomatically, “I still need to contact my boss and see if he can help me with this. I don’t want us to be blindsided with a sudden story on Dispatch.”

Lisa hums, “Right. We’ll do what you want, darling.”

The wonderful electric thrill only Lisa can cause goes through me with the use of her pet name. My heart flutters as she squeezes my hand softly.

“I happy you enjoyed yourself,” she whispers, “I’m really happy one of us did.”

“You didn’t have fun,” I frown.

“It could have been better,” she nods.

“How so?”

“We didn’t get to sing together,” she smiles shyly, “Just us two.”

I grin at her shy smile, “What song would we have sung then.”

“It’s kinda obvious, ain't it,” she snorts.

“Wha-”

Lisa rolls her eyes, “Look at what we’re wearing.”

I pause and look over myself. A slim white mini dress with red flowers printed on the fabric is paired with one of my newest additions: a pair of red close-toed Louis Vuitton’s that Lisa gifted me a few days ago after our first shoot at her studio. I furrow my brows and look up at her. Then I look over her all-black dress: skin-tight jeans, and a crop top underneath a faux leather jacket. A light bulb goes off and I gasp.

** _Summer loving had me a blast_ **

I look toward her with wide eyes as she sings the line softly with so much emotion that my heart sings. My heart flutters at her voice, raw inside the leather interior of her sports car. A smile slowly spreads on my face. I open my mouth and answer her, triggering us to sing the first verse together.

** _Summer loving happened so fast_ **

** _I met a girl crazy for me_ **

** _Met a boy cute as can be_ **

** _Summer days drifting away to oh oh the summer nights…_ **

“You have a beautiful voice,” she hums, “I could hear it all day.”

I blush for the millionth time because of her. She takes our hands up to her lips and kisses my knuckles softly. I swoon at the action, breathless at the affection she shows me. I’m too into her that I don’t notice she pulls up at a grassy part near the beach, far away from where my hotel is. I frown in confusion as she gets out and opens my door. I take the outstretched hand she offers and let her walk us out onto the grass and to a ledge that looks out onto the beach. The wind is cool and I shiver from it hitting my bare arms. Lisa takes her jacket off and pulls it over my shoulder.

“Thanks,” I whisper.

“Anything for you,” she smiles down at me.

“Why are we here,” I mumble, looking around at the moonlit area.

“I wanted to tell you a secret,” she leans down to look directly in my eyes, “I’ve been thinking about this since our first diner and I want you to know.”

I nod slowly, “Of course.”

“I’m falling in love with you Jennie,” she whispers, “No, I _know _I’m in love with you.”

I gape, “Lisa-”

She takes both my hands and places them over her heart, “I know I’ve known you for less then a week, Jennie Kim… But I don’t think I can live without you by my side. I never knew this feeling could exist. I want to spend the next two and a half months with you as much as possible. I don’t know if this will work out for the long haul but I want to enjoy the time I do have with you. That’s my secret. I want to spend this moment. Right here right now, with you. Just the two of us before the world comes back to separate us.”

“Oh Lisa,” I whisper as tears start to well up in my eyes, “I want to spend as much time with you too. I’ve never been this happy. I don’t remember being this happy _ever _in my life.”

Lisa grins and leans down to kiss me. Her plump lips dance with mine passionately but so lovingly that my whole being feels like it's about to float.

_She loves me…_

The tall blonde pulls away, keep our lips a breath away.

** _Right here, Right now_ **

** _I'm looking at you and_ **

** _My Heart love the view_ **

** _Cause you mean everything_ **

** _Right Here, I'll promise you Somehow that tomorrow_ **

** _Can wait for some other_ **

** _Day to be_ **

“I thought you didn’t have any more pixie dust in you,” I giggle at her singing.

“I guess I just needed to find my princess,” she brushes our lips teasingly, “Love makes dishrags out of the best of us.”

My eyebrows furrow and I pull away to stare at her dumbfounded, “What?”

She shugs with a little smirk, “My mentor used to say that. He said that I might be all cold and calculating but one day I’ll turn into a puddle of goo when I find what I’m looking for.”

“Someone to share it with,” I recall from our first real talk.

“Exactly,” she smiles, “Even if it's just for a snapshot of time.”

“Lisa,” I gasp out, “You promised we’d be together.”

“I know Jen,” she nods, “But look who we are. Things between us won’t be easy and I accept that. Something will pull us in different directions-”

“Lisa,” I growl, “Don’t-”

“But,” she cuts me off, “If we found each other once, I’m sure we’ll find each other again. We might have to separate at the end of this but I swear to you I will find you again. Nothing can keep me away from you again. I won’t let it.”

I smile with a watery grin, “You’ll track me down back in Korea using your camera.”

“I’ll track you down to the highest mountain or the deepest river,” she smiles charmingly, “I’ll move just for you. If you want me that is.”

“I’ll always want you,” I say with devotion, “How can I not? But what about Rosie?”

She snorts, “She’ll crack faster than I will when you and Jisoo go home. Why do you think they ran off earlier? They missed each other. They can pretend that they only want sex but I’ve never seen Rosie so attached to a fuck-buddy.”

I nod, “I agree. So, after all this is over and I go home-”

“I’ll come to find you,” she finishes with a steady look in her eyes, “Just make sure you have a little corner in your life for me. A place where we can hide away from the world. A place where you don’t have to worry about anything other than enjoying your time with me.”

The conviction in her voice sends me into a tearful nod, “I promise.”

Lisa grins and pulls me into a hug. I let out a deep breath as she hugs me tightly. My hands wrap around her neck while my face hides against her collar bone. She kisses the top of my head, making me smile. My mouth opens and I sing back to her, earning a tighter squeeze from the blonde.

** _But right here right now_ **

** _There's you and me_ ** ****

Lisa smiles at me and pulls away. She takes my hand, leading me down the stairs and onto the beach.

"Where are we going," I ask with a growing smile.

"I'm not through with you yet, Miss Kim," Lisa giggles, "Let's go walk on the beach and enjoy not having anyone's eyes on us. I'll take you back after we find a few seashells for you."

"You want me to go into cold water and sand for a few seashells," I scoff playfully.

The woman smirks and says, "We have to enjoy these Summer Nights."

With a laugh I let her pull me further into the sand, "Okay! Okay! But I'm keeping your jacket!"

Lisa pauses, staring dreamily at me, "You can have anything, Princess."

I blush and grab onto her hand, allowing her to help me out of my shoes. Lisa takes her shoes off and holds them with mine in her opposite hand. I lay my head against her shoulder as we start walking in the direction of the boardwalk. 

_It's just us right now... Let me enjoy it to the fullest..._

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**6:56 PM, SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA**

“What is this?”

“Its-”

“I KNOW WHAT IT IS!”

“S-sir-”

“Send the PR team to fix it. Make sure any of the evidence is eradicated.”

“Y-yes, sir!”

“And make sure to contact Jennie as soon as she’s awake! I will not allow her to do this to me again! One time is an accident! The second time is stupidity!”

“Y-yes, sir.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My eyes open as sunlight slowly enters through the sheer curtains the room has. I hum as delicious aches all over my body make themself known to me. A smile pulls at my lips as I realize the warm weight on top of me. I look down at myself and see long black sleek hair flutter around me and cover half the face of the woman laying on me. The ends of my lips tug into a lovestruck grin as I take in the sight of the older woman peacefully asleep. Her eyes move slightly under her eyelids, truly engaged in whatever dream she is still having. Her lips twitch every other beat and her eyebrows twitch just a touch. Her face remains peaceful, angellike in its state. My heat explodes and my stomach turns at seeing this goddess up close.

I let my hand trace down her spine to her tailbone and stops at the end of the blanket we had covering us earlier. I pull it slowly up to cover her completely, knowing full well she’s comfortable with her nudity but also knowing she might get a chill from the air conditioner. Jisoo cuddles further into me after completing my action. I grin at the silence we are in. Everything right now is so per-”

**RING! RING! RING!** **   
** **RING! RING! RING!** **   
** **RING! RING! RING!**

I jump as the shrill screaming of a phone destroys the peace my room is in. The beauty in my arms jumps and sits up, pulling the blanket off her. My eyes zero in on her nude form, completely hypnotized by her beauty. Jisoo snorts, breaking my concentration, and look around the room.

“Where is it?’’

“Huh?”

She rolls her eyes playfully and stands up, gifting me a brief view of her lower assets. I feel my mouth water suddenly at seeing her toned form. Jisoo is too focused on finding her phone to notice the love bites and smudged lipstick on her pale skin. She suddenly stands up, phone in hand, and slides her finger over the glass screen.

“Hello,” she asks slowly.

A loud yell can be heard through the receiver, making her pull away from the phone. She stares at it with shock then puts the phone back at her ear. I watch in horror as whoever is tal-yelling at her continues to do so for a long moment. Jisoo hangs up abruptly and stares down at the phone with a scared look in her eye. She looks up and stares at me.

“They found out.”


End file.
